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00:00Kamila Voleva, the 15-year-old Russian figure skater at the center of a doping scandal at
00:05the Beijing Winter Olympics, tested positive for three medications used to treat heart
00:10conditions in a drug test taken in December, the New York Times reported.
00:14Of the three medications found in her sample, only one of them, trimetazidine, is banned
00:19by antidoping officials.
00:21When taken without proper cause, the drug can help bolster endurance and improve circulation.
00:26Both effects could give a high-level figure skater a significant competitive advantage.
00:32While the other two medications in her system, hypoxin and L-carnitine, are not banned, antidoping
00:38officials told the New York Times that the presence of all three drugs in a young, elite
00:42athlete is highly unusual.
00:45Russian officials had claimed that the presence of trimetazidine could have been a mistake.
00:50Voleva was initially slapped with a provisional suspension from Russia's anti-doping agency
00:55R-U-S-A-D-A, after the positive test surfaced.
00:59However, following a swift appeal, the ban was overturned on February 9.
01:04The IOC then challenged that decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
01:08On Monday, the court issued a shocking ruling that lifted Voleva's provisional suspension
01:13and paved the way for the team to participate in Tuesday's women's singles skating short program.
01:19Many close to the sport slammed Voleva.
01:21Voleva ended the event in the lead, making her the competitor to beat in Thursday's free
01:25skate.
01:26However, Olympic officials have said that if Voleva places in the event, they will cancel
01:31the medal ceremony for all competitors until her case can be fully closed.
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