JAMES ELLINGWORTH - AP Sports Writer
•9/10/2026
DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has again been refused permission to compete internationally following a second round of checks after her status as a neutral athlete was revoked.
The International Skating Union on Thursday said Valieva was one of four Russian skaters, all 2022 Olympians, who were deemed not to “satisfy the requirements to participate as Individual Neutral Athletes.”
The others are men's skater Mark Kondratiuk and the ice dance team of Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin. No specific reasons were given in the four cases.
“The ISU will not comment further on individual cases while any applicable appeal rights remain available,” it said.
The latest obstacle to Valieva's career comes more than four years after disputes about her positive doping test overshadowed the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
The ISU rule is allowing more Russians to compete as neutral athletes this season, after most had been barred from its events following the invasion of Ukraine. It states they are “presumed eligible unless they fall within the disqualifying criteria.”
