Kamila Valieva denied neutral status for international skating

The International Skating Union (ISU) has revoked the neutral athlete status of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, preventing her from competing in international competitions. Valieva is one of four Russian skaters from the 2022 Beijing Olympics—including Mark Kondratiuk and the ice dance team of Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin—who were deemed ineligible to participate as individual neutral athletes.

While the ISU did not provide specific reasons for the decision, its regulations allow for the denial of neutral status if athletes have actively and publicly supported the war in Ukraine, or serve in military or security forces. The decision follows Valieva’s previous four-year suspension stemming from a doping scandal during the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The affected athletes have three weeks to file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).