Court to decide 15-year-old Kamila Valieva’s fate after failed drug test

Beijing, China - Sport's top court was to hold a hearing Sunday to decide the Beijing Olympics fate of 15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva after she failed a drugs test, as snow disrupted the Games.

The Olympics in the Chinese capital were dogged in the build-up by concerns about Covid and human rights and have now passed the halfway point with yet more controversy hanging over it.

This time it surrounds teenage skating sensation Valieva, whose Games hangs in the balance after it emerged that she tested before the Olympics for a banned substance.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was to hold a video hearing before delivering its verdict on Monday, just a day before Valieva is scheduled to compete in the women's singles competition, one of the most closely watched events at the Olympics.

Valieva was a strong favourite for gold but her Olympics and her fledgling career are now in jeopardy.

Christophe Dubi, Olympic Games executive director, said it was important to remember the "human side of this story... to think about a person of 15 in this situation".

"We need to treat this situation extremely carefully," said Dubi.

Valieva, who starred as Russia won team gold in Beijing on Monday, tested positive for trimetazidine after competing at an event in Saint Petersburg on December 25.

However, the International Testing Agency says the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory in Stockholm only reported that Valieva had returned a positive case on February 8 -- the day after she won team gold in Beijing.

The Russian team and the country's government have raised questions as to why it took six weeks for the result to come out.

Valieva again practised on Sunday, watched by her coach Eteri Tutberidze, who