Russian Figure Skater tests positive for drugs - delays ceremony for team medals

[ChelleC]

Adam did have some zingers that week

Adam was bringing the truth there.

Also, the "you don't walk into Walgreen's and get heart medication" remark is also a zinger.

 

[coppertop1]

Adam was bringing the truth there.

Also, the "you don't walk into Walgreen's and get heart medication" remark is also a zinger.

Yep. He didn't hold back and good on him.

 

[MacMadame]

Can you copy & paste - I copy & paste the emojis here into other places.

I've tried that but they stop moving.

 

[skatingguy]

I've tried that but they stop moving.

Is there a way to post media files or images like on this site?

 

[MacMadame]

You can upload custom ones but these are animated gifs and they don't translate. I'm sure there's a way to do it but it's not important enough to figure it out. Also, I don't really want to steal someone else's work.

 

[Sylvia]

Monday, November 14, 2022:

CAS arbitration WADA v. RUSADA & Valieva: The CAS has registered the Statement of Appeal filed by WADA and opened an arbitration procedure

www.tas-cas.org

Copying out the full text below from the CAS website: https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/CAS_Media_Release_9249_arrival.pdf

MEDIA RELEASE

WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY (WADA) V. RUSSIAN ANTI-DOPING AGENCY (RUSADA) AND KAMILA VALIEVA

THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) HAS REGISTERED THE STATEMENT OF APPEAL FILED BY WADA AND OPENED AN ARBITRATION PROCEDURE

Lausanne, 14 November 2022 - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has registered the Statement
of Appeal filed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency
(RUSADA) and the Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva (the Athlete) following the absence of a
decision in the procedure RUSADA vs/ Kamila Valieva, initiated by RUSADA after a sample provided
by the Athlete on 25 December 2021, at the 2021 Russian National Figure Skating Championships,
revealed the presence of trimetazidine, a prohibited substance.

In bringing the matter to CAS, WADA relies on article 15.3 of the RUSADA Anti-Doping Rules
(RUSADA ADR): “[w]hen, in a particular case, RUSADA, the Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee or
the National Appeal Body fail to render a decision with respect to whether a violation of the Rules was
committed within a reasonable deadline set by WADA, WADA may elect to appeal directly to CAS as if
RUSADA, the Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee or the National Appeal Body had rendered a decision
finding no violation of the Rules.” The appeal was filed as no decision was issued by RUSADA within
the time limit set by WADA.

WADA seeks a ruling from CAS that the Athlete committed an ADRV pursuant to Article 4.1 and/or 4.2
of the RUSADA ADR, and that the Athlete be sanctioned with a four-year period of ineligibility starting
on the date on which the CAS award enters into force, as well as the disqualification of all competitive
results obtained by her from, and including the date of 25 December 2021, with all resulting
consequences (including forfeiture of medals, points and prizes).

The CAS arbitration proceedings have commenced. In accordance with the Code of Sports-related
Arbitration, the arbitration rules governing CAS procedures, the parties will first exchange written
submissions and participate in the appointment of the 3-member Panel of arbitrators that will decide the
matter. WADA will nominate one member of the Panel, and RUSADA and the Athlete will jointly
nominate another. The third member, the President of the Panel, will be appointed by the President of
the CAS Appeals Division, or her deputy. Once appointed, the Panel will issue procedural directions for
the next phase of the proceedings including the holding of a hearing. Following the hearing, the Panel
will deliberate and issue an Arbitral Award containing its decision and the grounds for it. At this time, it
is not possible to indicate a time frame for the issuance of the decision. The CAS Panel’s decision will
be final and binding, with the exception of the parties’ right to file an appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal
within 30 days on very limited procedural grounds.

Chronology of events to date:
• In-competition doping control conducted by RUSADA on 25 December 2021 at the Russian
National Figure Skating Championships in St Petersburg.
• Athlete’s urine sample tested at the WADA-accredited laboratory in Stockholm which reports,
on 7 February 2022, an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) for trimetazidine, a non-specified
prohibited substance banned at all times under category S4.4 (Metabolic Modulators) of the 2021
WADA Prohibited List.
• RUSADA notifies the AAF to the Athlete on 8 February 2022 and imposes a mandatory
provisional suspension pursuant to art. 9.4.1 of the RUSADA ADR.
• The Athlete had previously competed in the Team Event at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing
2022 (the Beijing Winter Olympics) on 7 February 2022, and won a gold medal. The medal
ceremony of the event is postponed due to the Athlete’s AAF (and has not yet taken place).
• On 9 February 2022, the RUSADA Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee (RUSADA DADC)
lifts the mandatory provisional suspension.
• WADA, the International Skating Union (ISU) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
appeal the RUSADA DADC decision to lift the provisional suspension before the CAS Ad Hoc
Division at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
• On 17 February 2022, the CAS Ad Hoc Division dismisses the appeals.
• After several postponements of the RUSADA DADC hearings, WADA imposes a final deadline
of 4 November 2022 on RUSADA for a decision to be rendered with respect to the Athlete’s
AAF, failing which, it would bring the matter to the CAS.

ETA some of the 11/14/22 posts from this thread for context:

CAS has registered the Statement of Appeal filed by WADA against RUSADA and Kamila Valieva

Court of Arbitration for Sport registers appeal filed by WADA against RUSADA

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has registered an appeal filed by the World Anti-Doping Agency against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency in a case inv...

www.insidethegames.biz

WADA is seeking a 4 year ban for Valieva and to disqualify all of her results from 12/25/21 onward. I hope they get all of it:

Christine Brennan working on an article quoting USADA:

https://twitter.com/cbrennansports/status/1592209179741401088?s=46&t=0SG47qdDu0v5vIFrCrhWDQ

“Unless WADA expedites the case, which it certainly could do, this could take awhile even though it’s a pretty straightforward case. Under normal CAS process, it easily could be the end of 2023.”

 

[Theatregirl1122]

It seems we still actually don't know what would be done with the medals if Valieva were disqualified from the team event. There has been discussion on how that would happen, would the whole team be disqualified, would the points be recalculated, etc. Was that ever made clear?

 

[Karen-W]

It seems we still actually don't know what would be done with the medals if Valieva were disqualified from the team event. There has been discussion on how that would happen, would the whole team be disqualified, would the points be recalculated, etc. Was that ever made clear?

Well, I think it's pretty clear what will happen since the IOC refused to award the medals. If WADA wins the appeal, then Valieva's results are disqualified then Russia gets 0 points for the Women in the TE, so they would drop to 4th behind the US, Japan and Canada. The rest of the team wouldn't be disqualified, but they'd get the same 0 points for not fielding a competitor in one of the disciplines as Germany received when Hase/Seegert had to WD from the TE Pairs SP or Ukraine received when Shmuratko had to WD from the Men's SP.

 

[Orm Irian]

Well, I think it's pretty clear what will happen since the IOC refused to award the medals. If WADA wins the appeal, then Valieva's results are disqualified then Russia gets 0 points for the Women in the TE, so they would drop to 4th behind the US, Japan and Canada. The rest of the team wouldn't be disqualified, but they'd get the same 0 points for not fielding a competitor in one of the disciplines as Germany received when Hase/Seegert had to WD from the TE Pairs SP or Ukraine received when Shmuratko had to WD from the Men's SP.

Or it could work like other team events in which one member is disqualified for doping (eg relays in swimming or track and field) - the whole team is disqualified and every team below them moves up by one placement.

 

[Coco]

CAS chronology of events has nothing on FSU's own @Karen-W chronology.

 

[Vagabond]

@Karen-W If you ever apply for a job with the CAS, we folks at FSU will be your references.

 

[pachelbel]

Oh, and Rippon's comment about "disgrace" was above her being ten points ahead of Wakaba Higuchi despite a big step out on her 3A when Higuchi skated clean including a triple Axel

Valieva's score was a joke, but it's also a joke to say Higuchi skated clean. The technical calls were appropriate for her--maybe her PCS could've been a tad higher but that program to Ellie Goulding is not a match for her like her Lion King is.

Not to mention, the Romanians never denied giving the medication to Raducan and a few other girls who were also sick. There was no grandpa water cover up story. They straight up admitted that they messed up the dosage because Raducan shouldn't have been given the same dose as Amanar, who was an adult, or perhaps she shouldn't have been given anything at all. And while it's easy to see that people were sympathetic, people weren't exactly demanding that the medal be returned to her, except for fans and other Romanians. I remember an NBC broadcast a year after Sydney where Tim Daggett said something like "yeah I feel for her, but also, we were told to never take cold meds even when we were little kids, so there's that". It's not common for me to agree with Tim, but basically he was saying that she should be held accountable and that being young was not an excuse.

Tim Daggett also mentioned during the 2008 Olympics when they showed a close up of Raducan commentating to "give it [the gold medal] back" so it's hard to know what he's actually thinking.

Raducan wasn’t tested after the team final; two of her teammates were.

Raducan’s substance wasn’t performance-enhancing, was allowed in low dosages, and isn’t even banned anymore. And she’s not getting her medal back. I hardly see how the Raducan case somehow validates Valieva.

Some clarification, pseudoephedrine was removed from the banned substance list for a couple of years, but it's back on the WADA doping list as of a few years ago.

---

Since it's looking more and more likely that this will take much more time than we'd like, I'd actually push to have a the podium ceremony at some time during the 2024 Paris Olympics and fly them all in for those games. It's the least the IOC could do for the athletes who totally missed on the opportunity to cash in and stole their once in a lifetime moment. Though obviously a summer Olympics, everyone's eyes will be glued to sport for those two weeks. Much prefer that than a presentation in a hotel convention center.

 

[Karen-W]

Since it's looking more and more likely that this will take much more time than we'd like, I'd actually push to have a the podium ceremony at some time during the 2024 Paris Olympics and fly them all in for those games. It's the least the IOC could do for the athletes who totally missed on the opportunity to cash in and stole their once in a lifetime moment. Though obviously a summer Olympics, everyone's eyes will be glued to sport for those two weeks. Much prefer that than a presentation in a hotel convention center.

My understanding is that the Olympic Charter actually addresses this and allows the athletes to choose when they'd like the medal ceremony. Theoretically, it can take place at 1) the next Olympic Games (which would be Paris 2024), 2) the next World Championships in the sport (can't see this happening anytime before Montreal 2024), 3) at the Olympic Headquarters in Lausanne. Personally, I hope the athletes all decide they want to party it up in Paris in 2024 and receive their medals there, especially since it will be the off-season for the ones still competing and they'll really get to enjoy their delayed moment together.

 

[Lilia A]

Tim Daggett also mentioned during the 2008 Olympics when they showed a close up of Raducan commentating to "give it [the gold medal] back" so it's hard to know what he's actually thinking.

Keep in mind that the commentary during the Olympics is heavily scripted by NBC. Maybe not scripted per se, but there are key points they must follow. It always is, in general, but especially during the Olympics and the preceding competitions (nationals, trials). I was surprised that Elfi was actually good when she did commentary for CBC at the Pan Am games after she was dumped by NBC and replaced by Nastia. I always thought she was just nasty and in general just bad (US girl falls on a badly performed ring "oh that element is so incredibly hard"...five minutes later, a Chinese falls on a well executed ring, same element, "I can't believe she'd have such a silly fall on such an easy element).
So when it comes to how Tim feels, I'd go with his comment on a random post-Olympic event rather than the 2008 games, where the name of the game was "look, the Chinese girls are 5 years old and that's all we're going to talk about here".

 

[Bigbird]

About time we get this done and over with. It been stalled enough playing to the benefit of the world that's watching Valieva.

 

[Sylvia]

I just came across this BBC Sport article that was published after the Grand Prix in Sheffield with quotes from Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier (Nov. 19):

Beijing 2022 medallists Alexa Knierim & Brandon Frazier's 'moment gone' as wait continues

Figure skaters Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier had the ultimate Olympic show-and-tell moment - except they still have nothing to show.

www.bbc.com

"We were bringing home a medal for our country, which just felt so much bigger and greater [than any other], and to go home right after the Olympics and show and tell this beautiful medal to people at home who have seen something they never thought was possible - these are the moments I wish we were able to have," Knierim, 31, told BBC Sport.
"The sad part is that nothing will be able to replicate or recreate the moment in Beijing.
"Even if we were to go back to the exact location [to receive the medals], timing is everything and that moment is gone."

"For a lot of elite athletes sometimes the actual trophy or medal, when you get it, goes into a drawer," Knierim said.
"This will not go in a drawer! When we do get our medals I will be sure to display mine in my home and be very proud of it whatever colour it is."
Frazier agreed he would be taking extra care of his, saying: "I'll probably wear it for a good year!"

Frazier is clear that this unprecedented situation must never be allowed to happen again.
"If the committees who make these decisions care about preventing this from happening again, they need to listen to the athletes involved so they can understand first-hand what we're living through and what it felt like to have moments like this, so they understand the severity of it," he said.
...
"It's more about we just wanted that medal and that experience at the Games, so that part was the disappointing part so now it's just about what Team USA and the other countries deserve and that's where we're at."

 

[olympic]

@Karen-W If you ever apply for a job with the CAS, we folks at FSU will be your references.

Seriously @Karen-W you are very informative. Sorry I hassle you so much in PI

 

[On My Own]

eyes Morisi's performance and coaching change suspiciously

 

[DreamSkates]

The Skating Lesson on YouTube - they had an interesting conversation about the Russian ladies this year suddenly not skating up to last year’s standard.
And going back to Gordeava and Grinkov and questioned if doping could possibly have had a part in his death, since doping in Russian athletics goes back a long way. They also talked about a possible political and economic web between coaches, oligarchs, etc. Best to listen donut yourself and make your own judgements.
Note I used “possible” so am not stating known facts here!

 

[Vagabond]

Note I used “possible” so am not stating known facts here!

 

[Trillian]

And going back to Gordeava and Grinkov and questioned if doping could possibly have had a part in his death, since doping in Russian athletics goes back a long way.

Not directing this at you because I know you’re just recapping what was discussed on TSL, but ugh, that’s a really cheap line of speculation even by TSL’s standards. Maybe Russian/Soviet skaters (and/or skaters from other countries) were doping in that era, who knows. But the medical factors involved in Grinkov’s death were discussed extensively in the media at the time, and I don’t recall that anything at the time indicated any kind of substance use would have played a role. Trying to get a little more mileage out of a highly-publicized tragedy with absolutely no evidence, when Grinkov still has family and friends in the sport who miss him, is pretty gross IMO.

 

[Ananas Astra]

Grinkov had a congenital heart condition. IIRC, his father died the same way.

 

[skatingguy]

Not directing this at you because I know you’re just recapping what was discussed on TSL, but ugh, that’s a really cheap line of speculation even by TSL’s standards. Maybe Russian/Soviet skaters (and/or skaters from other countries) were doping in that era, who knows. But the medical factors involved in Grinkov’s death were discussed extensively in the media at the time, and I don’t recall that anything at the time indicated any kind of substance use would have played a role. Trying to get a little more mileage out of a highly-publicized tragedy with absolutely no evidence, when Grinkov still has family and friends in the sport who miss him, is pretty gross IMO.

I think the gaslighting from the Russians on the doping issue has gotten to the point where a lot of people are just questioning everything, and that's where I think that line of thought was coming from.

 

[coppertop1]

I think the gaslighting from the Russians on the doping issue has gotten to the point where a lot of people are just questioning everything, and that's where I think that line of thought was coming from.

The gaslighting is definitely the worst part. Making it sound like anyone who calls them out is the one in the wrong.

 

[Trillian]

I think the gaslighting from the Russians on the doping issue has gotten to the point where a lot of people are just questioning everything, and that's where I think that line of thought was coming from.

I get that completely. And honestly, as much as I was a G&G fan as a teenager, I probably wouldn’t even blink if someone just said “Maybe Grinkov was doping.” Maybe he was. Maybe they all were. But “Maybe Grinkov was doping, and that’s his real cause of death,” without any evidence whatsoever and with prior statements to the contrary by medical doctors, is tacky clickbait. We can talk about the Russian fed’s long track record of cheating without exploiting a tragedy just to add extra drama.

 

[skatingguy]

I get that completely. And honestly, as much as I was a G&G fan as a teenager, I probably wouldn’t even blink if someone just said “Maybe Grinkov was doping.” Maybe he was. Maybe they all were. But “Maybe Grinkov was doping, and that’s his real cause of death,” without any evidence whatsoever and with prior statements to the contrary by medical doctors, is tacky clickbait. We can talk about the Russian fed’s long track record of cheating without exploiting a tragedy just to add extra drama.

That's not what I took from what was said, but even in this thread there is confusion about how Grinkov died because @Ananas Astra said it was a congenital heart condition, but he died of a heart attack caused by a narrowed artery due to heart disease. So I think the issue is that it's been almost 3 decades, and the details aren't salient in people's mind, and mid-conversation we are prone reach for connections that aren't actually there.

 

[Debbie S]

That's not what I took from what was said, but even in this thread there is confusion about how Grinkov died because @Ananas Astra said it was a congenital heart condition, but he died of a heart attack caused by a narrowed artery due to heart disease. So I think the issue is that it's been almost 3 decades, and the details aren't salient in people's mind, and mid-conversation we are prone reach for connections that aren't actually there.

The "narrowed artery" was caused by a congenital heart condition. Doctors discovered it while doing the autopsy and also did some further research. IIRC, when they announced their findings, they termed it the "Grinkov risk factor."

ETA: https://apnews.com/article/3aa03941f98fc9a425fe80ba6583ffb5

 

[skatingguy]

The "narrowed artery" was caused by a congenital heart condition. Doctors discovered it while doing the autopsy and also did some further research. IIRC, when they announced their findings, they termed it the "Grinkov risk factor."

ETA: https://apnews.com/article/3aa03941f98fc9a425fe80ba6583ffb5

That's not what the article says, but, more to the point, a debate about the factors that lead to his death are not the issue here.

 

[Carolla5501]

The Skating Lesson on YouTube - they had an interesting conversation about the Russian ladies this year suddenly not skating up to last year’s standard.
And going back to Gordeava and Grinkov and questioned if doping could possibly have had a part in his death, since doping in Russian athletics goes back a long way. They also talked about a possible political and economic web between coaches, oligarchs, etc. Best to listen donut yourself and make your own judgements.
Note I used “possible” so am not stating known facts here!

In other words, they made up stuff to get attention, and you gave it to them.
There’s no need to listen to unsupported gossip

 

[Karen-W]

In other words, they made up stuff to get attention, and you gave it to them.
There’s no need to listen to unsupported gossip

I don't think this is a fair characterization of what DL was doing in his most recent "As the Blade Turns". He has been pointing out, for quite some time, well before the Valieva scandal, actually, that there is systemic doping in Russian skating and has been for decades. The attitude within the Russian skating establishment supports that basic premise - freely admitting in the past that they're looking for replacements for now-banned drugs that aid in recovery time and stamina. For too long, up until Valieva, actually, the attitude from many people within figure skating is "there aren't really any PEDs for figure skating," but that particular drug cocktail she had in her test results would indicate otherwise. It feels to me, as though the Russians have been gaslighting the rest of the skating world for far too long on the subject.

So, what we have is DL trying to connect various dots and point out where there have been questionable situations or, in the case of Grinkov, a tragedy. I know the medical reports at the time pointed to "congenital heart disease" but... Is it wrong to ask the question "Is this necessarily true?" If the ME is given the information that his father died from heart disease and then discovers similar characteristics in Grinkov's autopsy, is the ME pre-disposed then to just say "oh, congenital heart disease" - case closed and not look for any other potential causes of death?

I'm not sure that I go so far as to think that there was some massive cover-up by the former Soviet/by-then Russian sports machine to explain away Grinkov's death by natural causes, but given what we do know now about the very casual attitude toward doping (ie - "well, everyone does it, so we might as well") that seems to pervade in Russian culture these days and certainly existed 30+ years ago, I don't think DL is out of line to at least throw that theory out there. Some of you might find it distasteful, and before you accuse me of some anti-Russian bias, I'm just going to state that I fell in LOVE with Gordeeva & Grinkov in 1988 and loved them for the rest of their careers and didn't care that they weren't perfect in Lillehammer, they deserved that 2nd Olympic gold soooo very much. Mind, I'm not some Sergei widow fanatic, because that's not my style of fandom, but I am approaching this with a mind that is at least open to the possibility that there was more that contributed to his death than we, or the ME up in Lake Placid, knew in 1995.