Winter Olympics: Kamila Valieva test puts Russia & doping in spotlight again

Russia. Doping.

Those two words sound bad enough on their own.

Russia. A case of suspected doping. Announced at an Olympics where the country is already banned for doping. A child involved.

Could it sound any worse?

The revelation that 15-year-old figure skater Kamila Valieva failed a drugs test before Beijing 2022 has put the Games under a black cloud, swinging the spotlight away from sport and once again on a dark subject that simply will not go away.

There are now questions over timelines regarding the matter, a legal case under way, uncertainty over medals won — and that is without even considering the wider damage to the credibility of anti-doping measures and the welfare of a young athlete.

So, how have we got here and what happens next?

At Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022, Russians have been allowed to compete under the flag of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) if they could prove they were untainted by the doping scandal that led to the country being banned from international sporting events.

An investigation into revelations that surfaced in 2014 found the country had operated a state-sponsored doping programme.

The ROC delegation to Beijing is the third biggest at the Games, with 212 athletes.

Russian athletes have won 11 medals here, but under the terms of their participation they do not hear their anthem, see their flag raised when they are on the podium and must not wear any Russian flags on their clothing.

At the Tokyo 2020 Games, Russian athletes faced backlash from fellow competitors who believed they should not be at the Games because of the country's doping record.

After the revelation on Friday of another Russian failed test, much of the reaction on social media raised exactly this point.

The fact Valieva is a