ISU revokes neutral status for Valieva and Kondratiuk amid war concerns

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has had her International Skating Union (ISU) authorization to compete internationally as a neutral athlete revoked over concerns that she may have previously supported Russia’s war in Ukraine. The ISU also withdrew neutral status from fellow Russian skater Mark Kondratiuk, and both athletes have appealed; the ISU is expected to rule soon, with further appeals possible to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The decision follows Valieva’s four-year doping ban, imposed in 2024 after her positive test for trimetazidine emerged during the 2022 Beijing Olympics and led to Russia’s team gold being annulled in favor of the United States. Under the ISU’s current rules, Russian and Belarusian skaters are presumed eligible for neutral status unless they have served in military or security forces, participated in military operations against Ukraine or publicly supported the war since 2022.