KSOC to ask IOC to investigate doping allegations

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) has decided to ask the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to reinvestigate the doping allegations of Adelina Sotnikova (Russia), the gold medalist in women's singles figure skating at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. If the suspicion turns out to be true, the gold medal will go to “figure skating queen” Kim Yu-na (33), who won the silver medal at the time.

Sotnikova appeared on a YouTube video released on March 13 and said, “I was told that I tested positive in a doping test in 2014. However, the second sample tested negative, and I was cleared of charges,” she said. She made the remarks while defending Russia's Kamila Valieva, who tested positive for doping at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Suspicions of her doping began to emerge as the YouTube channel edited and uploaded only the interview with Sotnikova on the 5th of this month.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) collects doping test samples in two parts. If the first (A) sample is tested positive, the second (B) sample is also tested to determine doping. “A re-investigation seems necessary because it is scarce (like Sotnikova’s doping test), where the A and B sample test results are different,” A KSOC official said on Tuesday. “The Korea Anti-Doping Agency (KADA) is organizing related data. We will request a re-investigation once the data and past cases are gathered.”

“The WADA keeps samples for 10 years,” the official added. “In the meantime, doping technology has seen technical advancements, and we expect that this time we will be able to confirm‎ things that were not clearly detected in the past.” Russia faced national doping charges during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Of the medals won by Russian athletes (teams) at the Sochi Winter Olympics, four medals (three gold, one silver) have now changed ownership.


Kyu-In Hwang kini@donga.com