Russian figure skater Valieva to testify in Olympic doping case hearing

Figure skater Kamila Valieva will testify by video at an appeal hearing Sunday that will decide if the 15-year-old Russian star can still compete at the Beijing OIympics.

Just 30 minutes ahead of the hearing's start, Court of Arbitration for Sport director general Matthieu Reeb said Valieva was scheduled to speak by video to the panel. Reeb said the judges would have a Russian translator.

Three CAS judges will hear arguments in a closed-door session in a conference room at a Beijing hotel. Lawyers and officials for the parties are connecting to the case in the Winter Games host city and from Switzerland.

That is just over 24 hours ahead of Valieva's scheduled next Olympic event - the women's individual compeition where she will be the strong favorite if cleared to compete.

Earlier Sunday, the teenager at the centre of Russia's latest doping scandal, now stretching toward its second week and some form of resolution, seemed to be the only person in the world without a word to say about it.

Instead, Valieva continued to gamely practice at the Beijing Olympics amid a sea of media and camera crews as the CAS prepared to decide whether she is even allowed to compete this week. An expedited hearing was scheduled for Sunday night, with a ruling expected sometime Monday.

Valieva has yet to miss a scheduled practice since a drug test taken in December was flagged last Monday for traces of a banned heart medication. That was the same day the reigning European champion helped the Russian skaters win team gold with a dynamic free skate in which she became the first woman to land a quad in Olympic competition.

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