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

[Wyliefan]

At this point, I feel like it's going to be one of those cases where, decades from now, someone reads in an old newspaper about how an Olympic team never got its medals, and starts petitioning governments to right the old wrong for the athletes who are still alive.

 

[coppertop1]

I think it will be 2024 at the earliest. Maybe 2026. Not holding my breath.

 

[Andora]

I think it will be 2024 at the earliest. Maybe 2026. Not holding my breath.

I'm assuming the same timeline as the 2000 women's US Gymnastics team receiving bronze after China was disqualified for age violations.

They got their medals in 2010.

 

[Vagabond]

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2010/04/2000_gymnastics_bronze_given_t.html

The age violations weren't detected until 2008 at the earliest, so if the timeline from detection to the medal ceremony were the same, the ceremony for the Figure Skating Team Event would be next year.

 

[On My Own]

Goldenskate tweeted this: https://twitter.com/goldenskate/status/1621220398619660289

Does anyone know where to find the original document? And who is on the arbitration panel, if it's public？

 

[SkateGuard]

Where did you report? I'd like to as well.

Contact Us - International Skating Union

The International Skating Union is the international sport federation administering Ice Skating sports throughout the world.

www.isu.org

 

[On My Own]

Contact Us - International Skating Union

The International Skating Union is the international sport federation administering Ice Skating sports throughout the world.

www.isu.org

Thank you. I guess I'll get it if they don't block comments on the Youtube videos if they're really earning money from it, but they could at least turn off the chat. I hope both go though.

 

[Sylvia]

Does anyone know where to find the original document? And who is on the arbitration panel, if it's public？

From November 2022: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...y-for-team-medals.109402/page-64#post-6338965

 

[DreamSkates]

I'm curious - did ANYONE from Japan say anything about this? Even during the Olympics, I think it was only Kaori and Wakaba who did.

My guess is it is not in their culture to complain or make demands. To them it is disrespectful. Opposite of US culture.

 

[On My Own]

My guess is it is not in their culture to complain or make demands. To them it is disrespectful. Opposite of US culture.

But Kaori and Wakaba did complain. So I don't buy this explanation.

 

[Aussie Willy]

I can't believe this is still going on.

 

[DreamSkates]

But Kaori and Wakaba did complain. So I don't buy this explanation.

They would be “the exception to the rule.” We don’t see the Japanese figure skating organization publicly complaining. I know people including a family member who lived there. Complaints are not common.

 

[On My Own]

They would be “the exception to the rule.” We don’t see the Japanese figure skating organization publicly complaining. I know people including a family member who lived there. Complaints are not common.

In addition to Kaori and Wakaba, I've also seen calls from some Japanese skating fans to make the JSF answer.

https://twitter.com/yukikonatsuharu/status/1621236036922925056

https://twitter.com/efude0706/status/1621463719627874307

Apart from that, I've seen many Japanese skating fans praising the USFS and Vincent on their statement.

I don't believe this is a "cultural issue" and that they're not complaining due to it being "disrespectful". I've not seen Wakaba or Kaori receiving criticism for being "disrespectful" either, although someone might correct me if I'm wrong there.

Japanese figure skating organization is being either lazy or is dragging its feet due to some other reason.

But I'll have a low opinion of Japanese skating federation if "culture" is indeed the issue here. Lame as all heck to not be taking a stand against doping, and will make me happy if the Olympics doesn't go there any time soon. The men on the Japan team at the Olympics should especially be ashamed.

 

[Sylvia]

Zach Donohue's Instagram post (4 pages): https://www.instagram.com/p/CoLXuvCrI_r/

Vincent Zhou's statement: https://www.instagram.com/p/CoKxwmErr3k/

Please engage in and perpetuate this important conversation using the hashtag #morethanmedals - it’s about more than just the missing medals. We uphold the principles of fair and clean sport, and we expect our peers and competitors to do the same.

The US Team Event athletes are not alone in being affected by this situation, so this isn’t just about Team USA either. The Olympics are a paragon of integrity and sportsmanship in competition, and for the Olympics to retain that meaning, these principles MUST be upheld.

Please repost. #morethanmedals

ETA one of Vincent's replies in the comments section:

... it would be appropriate to ask the ones responsible for doping to stop fueling conflict. As for your statement that the best teams and athletes were in the podium, no they were not. There was no medal ceremony for the team event. There was no podium. This is not politics or media antics. This is our life. Working our whole lives to succeed at the Olympics brought meaning to our entire careers, and competing with doping athletes destroys that meaning and hard work.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Zach Donohue's Instagram post (4 pages): https://www.instagram.com/p/CoLXuvCrI_r/

Vincent Zhou's statement: https://www.instagram.com/p/CoKxwmErr3k/

wow they actually had to stand there and pose with empty medal boxes? This is such a problem.

On a very very very sidenote, I never realized how tall and beefy Donahue really is.

 

[Sylvia]

Is anyone willing to gift this WaPo article? https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2023/01/26/usa-team-figure-skating-medals/

Les Carpenter also wrote the very good article from which I excerpted in this thread back on Feb. 20, 2022: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...y-for-team-medals.109402/page-32#post-6216061

Associated Press article by Dave Skretta based on USFS' statement yesterday:

US Figure Skating blasts delay in awarding of Beijing medals

U.S. Figure Skating has had enough with the delays over the awarding of team medals from the Beijing Olympics.

apnews.com

 

[Wyliefan]

@Sylvia, here you go.

https://wapo.st/3xcMS0J

 

[On My Own]

Is anyone willing to gift this WaPo article? https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2023/01/26/usa-team-figure-skating-medals/

Can you all read this? https://web.archive.org/web/2023012...cs/2023/01/26/usa-team-figure-skating-medals/

 

[Willin]

My theory is JFed knows they can't complain because they're scared of any of the political fallout of complaining. They already don't get the PCS/GOE bonuses that skaters from other big feds do, so pissing off what is the most powerful political force in the ISU by far isn't a great idea. Bigger feds that go head to head with Russia in ISU politics (Korea, US, Canada) are more protected.

 

[Vagabond]

Zach Donohue's Instagram post (4 pages): https://www.instagram.com/p/CoLXuvCrI_r/

Such an unnecessary use of  clothing! SMH.

 

[SkateSand]

I live in the middle of nowhere where we have one local radio station that plays current Top 40 mixed with occasional oldies music, and much to my shock and surprise, one of the lead news stories last night was the USFS statement that the Team Medals still hadn't been awarded and why. I don't think it was that slow a news day so that's some encouraging reach.

 

[On My Own]

My theory is JFed knows they can't complain because they're scared of any of the political fallout of complaining. They already don't get the PCS/GOE bonuses that skaters from other big feds do, so pissing off what is the most powerful political force in the ISU by far isn't a great idea. Bigger feds that go head to head with Russia in ISU politics (Korea, US, Canada) are more protected.

Still cowardly, and sorry, since when is Korea a bigger fed in ISU figure skating politics? Who invests as much money as Japan does in skating and on skaters? Who has bigger fields in singles skating? It's not even Canada in comparison anymore.

What exactly is stopping people like Shoma Uno from saying anything? What will Mao Asada lose if she says anything?

 

[Willin]

@On My Own The Korean fed actually has had a fair number of high ranking ISU officials - some on the figure skating side. Most of this is more attributable to speed skating success than figure skating, but as we see with countries like the Netherlands that can spill over to having people in high places that influence figure skating.

And investing in their figure skaters and fielding large fields does not equal influence internationally if most of that is done for your own athletes and officials.

 

[Cant Skate]

Is this being discussed anywhere already?? Makes me sick...

Putin honours skating coach in Kamila Valieva Olympic case

Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded figure skating coach Eteri Tutberidze one of the country's highest honours Monday, nearly a year after a doping case involving one of her skaters overshadowed the Winter Olympics.

www.ctvnews.ca

 

[Dub16]

Meagan Duhamel not holding back in this piece on Europe On Ice!

I wish the ISU, the IOC and WADA would treat all positive drug tests equally. We are seeing Spanish pair team Laura (Barquero) and Marco (Zandron) missing everything since a positive drug test. The same happened with Jessica Calalang as well before the Olympics. Why was Kamila not treated the same as others? It’s extremely unfair that Russia can control these circumstances and create an unfair field of play.

 

[On My Own]

Well WADA wasn't the problem (nor the IOC nor the ISU, unless we want to say she should have been kicked from the individual event, which is fair). Go off, I guess, but it's all on RUSADA for now I'd say.

 

[kwanfan1818]

I don't think that RUSADA and the Federation were so stupid that they weren't running their own tests in parallel in their own labs, even if those results weren't considered official, so that they'd have a heads up if there was an issue. Did they not from arrogance? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought RUSADA representatives were administering sample collection and sending the samples off to one of the official labs, not a third party.

The only thing that makes me question that they knew and hoped by not labeling it as "expedited" that Valieva's sample wouldn't be processed until after she'd competed in both the TE and individual events, because getting things changed retroactively is an uncertain and arduous process, and why not ruin everyone else's party in the process, is that, if they had, Valieva could have had a mysterious injury for Euros, and they could have claimed that they took necessary steps, even retroactively taking away her nationals results down the line, because, as a minor, the punishment should not include the Olympics.

 

[On My Own]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1623012772781912064

 

[coppertop1]

The Russians are so pathetic and hypocritical. They blatantly cheat but the second you call them out they cry and play the victim

 

[Karen-W]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1623012772781912064

Blech. The barf emoji doesn't do my reaction to this justice.