The ongoing Valieva situation & the Beijing Olympics Team Medals - 29 Jan. 2024 - CAS decision released

[Elizabeth]

The official reply to the further delay from USFS

[kittykins]

Here is the CBC article posted today:
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/wint ... -1.6981113

[Elizabeth]

I hope no one has been hold their breath for a decision! It will now happen "by the end of January 2024"!!

[Elizabeth]

Remember that ruling that was due by the end of January? It's now been pushed into February now: https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/wint ... -1.7045287

An extract:

There could be yet another delay in the doping case of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, with a ruling now potentially coming more than two years since her positive test rocked the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The International Skating Union said in a statement Thursday that the Court of Arbitration for Sport "expects to publish its decision" by Feb. 12. After a five-day hearing ended earlier this month, CAS indicated it would publish the verdict in January. No reason was given for the apparent change.

It would be a small delay compared to earlier holdups in the long-running case but could mean the verdict arrives around the two-year anniversary of the Beijing Games.

[Elizabeth]

From USA Today reporter Christine Brennan on X (formerly Twitter):

Breaking: I’m hearing that the long-awaited Court of Arbitration for Sport decision on the Kamila Valieva doping case is coming Monday — almost two years after the team figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

[kittykins]

Oh my, thanks for the info. Elizabeth! This will be interesting! It should never have been so complicated in a way. She was taking a banned substance - seems like a no brainer to the average person! The Red Tape in this has been incredible!

[Elizabeth]

Oh my, thanks for the info. Elizabeth! This will be interesting! It should never have been so complicated in a way. She was taking a banned substance - seems like a no brainer to the average person! The Red Tape in this has been incredible!

If the decision goes again Russia, prepare for appeals to drag it on even longer...

[Elizabeth]

BREAKING NEWS!!
The decision is in - a link to the media release: https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_ ... cision.pdf

The headlines:

• The decision taken by the Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency No. 9/2023 on 24 January 2023 in relation to Ms Kamila Valieva is set aside.
• Ms Valieva is found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) under Clause 4.1 of the All-Russian Anti-Doping Rules of 24 June 2021 (the Russian ADR).
• A period of four (4) years ineligibility is imposed on Ms Valieva, starting on 25 December 2021.
• All competitive results of Ms Valieva from 25 December 2021 are disqualified, with all the resulting consequences (including forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, profits, prizes, and appearance money).

"All competitive results of Ms Valieva from 25 December 2021 are disqualified, with all the resulting consequences"
The following events influenced:
2022 Europeans
2022 Winter Olympics – Team event
2022 Winter Olympics

The consequences linked to the retroactive disqualification of Ms Valieva from past events, including from the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, were not within the scope of this arbitration procedure and will have to be examined by the sports organisations concerned.

I read that to mean that it's up to the IOC, perhaps on the recommendation of the ISU, to decide on the implications to the Team medal, etc.

The final statement:

The CAS Panel’s decision is final and binding, with the exception of the parties’ right to file an appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal within 30 days on limited grounds.

Here are images of the full release:

[Elizabeth]

Christine Brennan's USA Today story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/o ... 393824007/

This quote is from the CBC article: https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/wint ... -1.7097751

The IOC is responsible for reallocating medals and its executive board is next scheduled to meet in March.

[Elizabeth]

Statement from WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) in response to the CAS decision says that WADA welcomes CAS’s decision regarding Kamila Valieva. They took this appeal to CAS in the interests of fairness for athletes and clean sport and believe that has been delivered.
and includes the following:


Full statement here: https://t.co/4wogZNNAGu

[Elizabeth]

State Canada's statement: https://skatecanada.ca/2024/01/skate-ca ... ts-ruling/

Skate Canada Statement on the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s Ruling
January 29, 2024/by Skate Canada

Skate Canada applauds the decision made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s doping violation during the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. This ruling underscores the significance of stringent anti-doping measures and the need for continuous vigilance in protecting the integrity of figure skating and all sports.

Skate Canada advocates for a clean and level playing field for all athletes, and we support the efforts of international organizations, including the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), in maintaining the integrity of our sport.

We are proud of the incredible dedication and sportsmanship our Canadian figure skaters have shown throughout this process. We also extend our respect and support to all athletes who have trained tirelessly to compete at the highest level.

As we move forward, Skate Canada is committed to focusing on athlete development, clean sport, and promoting the values of excellence, respect, and fairness within the sport of figure skating.

[Elizabeth]

Statement today from the ISU promises a full statement tomorrow

[kittykins]

Thanks for all the info. I have seen brief reference to it on both Canadian news channels. So, I'm assuming we may hear more in March based on the info. Of course I understand there could be yet another appeal. I would think it would be pointless to drag it out further with an appeal, as it's pretty straight forward in some ways. I suppose they could appeal the length of the suspension. It would also cause more trauma for Valieva, but I'm not sure she is the concern of some of the parties involved. We're still waiting for consequences for her coaches and possibly family members...not sure if that will happen. Thoughts?

[Elizabeth]

Statement from US Figure Skating

[Elizabeth]

Statement from Global Athlete, a progressive athlete start-up movement aiming to inspire athletes and drive change across the world of sport:

[Elizabeth]

Thanks for all the info. I have seen brief reference to it on both Canadian news channels. So, I'm assuming we may hear more in March based on the info. Of course I understand there could be yet another appeal. I would think it would be pointless to drag it out further with an appeal, as it's pretty straight forward in some ways. I suppose they could appeal the length of the suspension. It would also cause more trauma for Valieva, but I'm not sure she is the concern of some of the parties involved. We're still waiting for consequences for her coaches and possibly family members...not sure if that will happen. Thoughts?

As I understand it the regulations at the time this happened do not permit handing out penalties to coaches, etc. but I may be proven wrong. This would be the purview of WADA, I believe.

The disqualification impacts her gold medal at the 2022 Europeans and I anticipate something about that in the ISU "full statement" tomorrow. The team medals are the purview of the IOC but they would presumably expect a recommendation from the ISU.

Interestingly, the Russian Skating Federation head has basically said this means nothing to them as they weren't a part of the CAS hearing and they still consider their athletes Olympic champions (or words to that effect).

Since the head of the IOC seems determined to have Russian and Belarussian athletes competing in Paris as "neutrals", it will be very interesting to see what falls out...

[Elizabeth]

Statement from the Canadian Olympic Committee:

[Elizabeth]

The IOC will award the Team event medals based on the ranking that has to be established by the ISU:




The USOPC and USFS are confident that their team of Nathan Chen, Vincent Zhou, Karen Chen, Alexa Knierim, Brandon Frazier, Madison Chock, Evan Bates, Madison Hubbell, Zachary Donohue will receive the gold medals - no one knows yet where or when but...
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[Elizabeth]

The official ISU statement would, unfortunately, leave the CDN team in 4th place in the Team Event. They have chosen to recalculate the results for the ROC team omitting the results for Valieva rather than disqualifying the whole team.

See: https://www.isu.org/isu-news/news/145-n ... teParam=15

The ISU is in close contact with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the relevant ISU Member Federations in regard to the implementation of this decision.

With respect to 2022 Europeans, the revised result would be:
Anna Shcherbakova
Alexandra Trusova
Loena Hendrickx

[kittykins]

Congratulations to the U.S. and Japanese teams!!

I remember 2 years ago, noticing that if they took out Valieva's score, the Russians would still be one point ahead of Canada, and thought it will be interesting to see how they handle this. I have mixed feelings. I understand the idea of not penalizing other athletes who were (apparently) competing fairly, but at the same time a TEAM is just that. I know in relay teams in other sports have the medal stripped completely, but of course the skating competition is set up differently. The whole thing is just bizarre and it seem there is very little consequence for the Russian federation for even allowing this type of thing to happen. The whole mix-up with her blood work not being processed until after she had competed in the Olympics, points to a problem with the Russian system and the attempt to hide any misdemeanors. It also bothers me that they are still claiming that it was "accidental exposure", an argument that previous athletes who have cheated have mentioned as well (like Ben Johnson). It seems like a pretty big coincidence, that the heart medication that was detected WOULD be a benefit to her training, as well as the fact she was taking two other medications that would boost her oxygen levels. CRAZY. Stating the obvious, it's unfortunate that Canada couldn't have gotten 2 more points. It seems it's still very up in the air whether Russia will compete at the next Olympics due to the war in Ukraine, or even if they will now be allowed to compete under their flag. It seems sports have become so political, but I guess they always have been.

[Elizabeth]

The Skate Canada statement:


Since Skate Canada is the host federation for the ISU World Championships coming up in March in Montreal, has this decision "thrown the cat amongst the pigeons" as Chris Howarth would say in his commentary?

[Elizabeth]

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) statement: https://olympic.ca/press/statement-on-t ... eam-event/

TORONTO (January 30, 2024) – The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) issued the following statement on today’s International Skating Union (ISU) ruling:

“The Canadian Olympic Committee is extremely disappointed to see that the International Skating Union has not awarded Team Canada the bronze medal in the team event at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games after Ms. Valieva’s disqualification. We are in discussion with Skate Canada as it explores its options for appeal.

We recognize how difficult this process is for all the athletes and give our support to the Canadian skaters who made us so proud. This is a reminder of how harmful doping is and how crucial it is that we have a fair and safe sport system at home and around the world.”

[Elizabeth]

And, of course, the Russians plan to appeal too!!!

[Elizabeth]

One of the consequences of the failure to medal in Beijing for Skate Canada has been a significant decrease in the funding they receive from "Own The Podium" (OTP).


On top of losses related to the cancellation of the 2020 Worlds, I suspect one of the impacts has been a reduction in funding to send skaters out to international competitions. This is unfortunate in terms of long term development.

[Elizabeth]

Today's statement from Global Athlete: