A RUSADA investigation into Kamila Valieva's failed drugs test has been completed ©Getty Images

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has finished its investigation into Kamila Valieva's failed drugs test and disciplinary hearings could take place later this month.

RUSADA director general Veronika Loginova told Russia's state news agency TASS that the organisation "completed the investigation" on Wednesday (September 14).

Disciplinary hearings are likely to be held in ether late September or early October, according to Loginova, but exact dates have not been set.

RUSADA will then render its verdict in the case.

The RUSADA verdict is unlikely to represent the end of the saga, however, as the verdict will be subject to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for sport - be that by Valieva, the International Skating Union (ISU), International Olympic Committee (IOC) or World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

RUSADA was informed of Valieva's positive test for the banned substance trimetazidine on February 8, the day after she had helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) to secure team gold at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

A medal ceremony has still not taken place for the team figure skating event at Beijing 2022 because of the failed drugs test.

The United States finished second, Japan third and Canada fourth - but all could be in line for an upgrade.

American figure skaters appealed to he CAS to be given silver medals before thy left Beijing 2022, but the request was dismissed  ©Getty Images
American figure skaters appealed to he CAS to be given silver medals before thy left Beijing 2022, but the request was dismissed ©Getty Images

RUSADA opted not to provisionally suspend Valieva, allowing the then 15-year-old to compete in the women's event at Beijing 2022.

The IOC, ISU and WADA all filed appeals to the CAS to have a provisional suspension reimposed, but these were dismissed.

Valieva, who holds the world record, finished fourth in the women's event and was in tears at the end.

The ROC skater led after the short programme but fell several times in the free skate.

Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine in a sample provided on December 25.

The WADA-accredited laboratory in Stockholm did not report the failure until February 8.

In its full verdict on the initial WADA, ISU and IOC appeal, the CAS slammed the anti-doping authorities' "failure to function effectively".

It judged that provisionally suspending Valieva would cause the teenager "irreparable harm".

Kamila Valieva is a protect person under the terms of the World Anti-Doping Code ©Getty Images
Kamila Valieva is a protect person under the terms of the World Anti-Doping Code ©Getty Images

Had the reporting process been completed within 20 days of the sample being collected as is laid out by WADA's International Standard for Laboratories, the athlete would have had more than two weeks before the Winter Olympics to have filed a request to the CAS for provisional measures.

The written judgement went on to criticise anti-doping authorities for the creation of a situation where Valieva, "through no fault of hers, and without any allegation of improper conduct of anyone... finds herself at the Olympic Winter Games being put on notice of an alleged ADRV [anti-doping rule violation] from a sample taken 44 days prior".

Processing delays at the WADA-accredited laboratory in Stockholm were blamed on staffing problems brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

WADA has also at least partly blamed RUSADA, claiming Valieva's sample "was not flagged by RUSADA as being a priority sample when it was received by the anti-doping laboratory in Stockholm".

Valieva's legal team has said trimetazidine could have entered her system through contamination, with Valieva's grandfather said to be using the angina medication.

Because Valieva was 15 at the time of the test, and therefore a protected person under the terms of the World Anti-Doping Code, any punishment for an anti-doping rule violation is liable to be less than would otherwise be the case.