Teenage Russian figure Figure skater Kamila Valieva has been banned from the sport for four years after testing positive for doping shortly before the 2022 Winter Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on Monday. The ban dates back to the most recent Winter Games in Beijing, stripping Russia of its figure skating team gold and potentially paving the way for Team USA to finally take the top spot two years after the first controversy.
The suspension dates back to December 25, 2021, meaning Valieva, now 17, will be eligible for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Reports from New York Times and Washington Post suggest that with Russia's team medal stripped, the US is poised to take gold, with Japan jumping to silver and Canada taking bronze.
“Their moment is upon them,” US Olympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirsland said in a statement to the Times. “And when it arrives, it will serve as a testament to the justice and recognition they truly deserve.”
US Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart celebrated the decision but also criticized the way the situation was handled. “It's the right result, just two years late,” he told Position. “Now ISU [International Skating Union] must act immediately to award and recognize the real winners of the competition.”
Valieva was controversially given permission to continue competing in the women's singles category, despite a positive doping test revealed in mid-competition just days before. “Seeing her on the Olympic ice right now with everything we found out last week, I didn't think it was going to happen,” Tara Lipinski said in 2022 during the broadcast of her performance on NBC. “Again I don't think it should happen.”
Valieva, who was 15 at the time, broke down in tears during her performance, stumbling throughout her routine and failing to medal after entering the event as the favorite to win it all.
Valieva's allowed performance has sparked controversy from across the sports world, with runner Sha'carri Richardson, who was kicked off the US Olympic team after testing positive for marijuana, citing the double standard. “We can get a solid answer for the difference [between] her condition and mine?' Richardson, now known as X, said on Twitter: “My mother passed away and I can't run and I was also favored to be in the top 3. The only difference I see is that I'm a young black woman.”
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/russian-figure-skater-kamila-valieva-banned-for-four-years-over-doping-scandal-1234956016/
