Valieva's entourage targeted by IOC as Valieva hearing looms

BEIJING : The International Olympic Committee (IOC) asked the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to investigate the entourage of Kamila Valieva as the teenage Russian figure skater awaits her fate in a doping case at the Beijing Olympics on Sunday.

A Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) hearing is scheduled to take place later on Sunday after the IOC, the International Skating Union (ISU) and WADA appealed against the lifting of the 15-year-old's provisional suspension by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA).

Valieva tested positive for a banned heart drug at her national championships last December but it took more than six weeks for the result to be made public.

Her future at the Beijing Games and a gold for the Russian Olympic Committee in the team event that she dominated on Monday now hangs in the balance amid a global outcry over Moscow's doping history.

"This is a constantly moving target, and we are continuing to work on this. We have an entourage commission...we want WADA to investigate the entourage in this case. A whole range of things have been done," IOC spokesman Mark Adams told a news conference on Sunday.

"Our response continues to improve and address entourage issues."

Valieva is one of the youngest athletes ever to have a positive test revealed at the Olympics, in a case that has prompted outrage from fans, athletes and anti-doping advocates around the world.

Many have questioned the role of the adults around the teenage skater and the continuing scourge of Russian doping in international sports.

Valieva's coach Eteri Tutberidze said she was certain Valieva was "clean and innocent" in an interview with Russian state television on Saturday.

The CAS hearing, however, will solely focus on the lifting of