Russian skater Kamila Valieva cleared to compete at Olympics

By JAMES ELLINGWORTH and GRAHAM DUNBAR
AP Sports Writers

BEIJING (AP) — Russian teenager Kamila Valieva has been cleared to compete in the women’s figure skating competition at the Winter Olympics despite failing a pre-Games drug test. The Court of Arbitration for Sport released its ruling less than 12 hours after a hastily arranged hearing that lasted into early Monday that the 15-year-old Valieva, the favorite for the women’s individual gold, does not need to be provisionally suspended ahead of a full investigation. The court gave her a favorable decision in part because she was a minor or “protected person” and was subject to different rules from an adult athlete.