Vladimir Putin defends Kamila Valieva and hits out at bans on Russian athletes

Vladimir Putin has expressed support for Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, saying she did not compete “dishonestly” after her doping case dominated this year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Valieva was part of the gold-medal winning Russian squad for the figure skating team event at the Beijing Olympics but no medal ceremony has yet been held. That is because she is facing an unresolved doping case, resulting from a positive test at the Russian national championships in late December.

“Through her work, she raised the sport to the level of true art,” Putin said of Valieva. “It is impossible to achieve that kind of perfection dishonestly, with the help of some kind of extra substances or manipulations.”

The Russian president presented Valieva with a state award as part of a televised ceremony celebrating the country’s medalists in Beijing. “It’s a big honour for me,” said Valieva, who celebrated her 16th birthday on Tuesday.

After Valieva’s positive drug test came to light during the Olympics, she faced a possible suspension from competition until the case was resolved, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) allowed her to continue competing. The speculation appeared to affect her as she struggled in her final routine, finishing fourth in the women’s competition as her fellow Russian, Anna Shcherbakova, skated to gold.

Russia competed at the Beijing Olympics without its flag or anthem following years of doping sanctions and legal battles across numerous sports. Russia denies any doping was state-sponsored.

Putin also hit out at the wave of suspensions affecting Russian athletes, calling the nine-month suspension of the Olympic champion swimmer Evgeny Rylov “absurd”, and adding that blanket bans on Russian and