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

[On My Own]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1676725068716466177

 

[ninjapirate]

What I find weird about people who use Rodchenkov as an authority in the figure skating community.... is that he's been specifically asked about figure skating. IIRC, he says he knows nothing about figure skaters and doping but that all Russian athletes benefited from lax oversight.

But Rodchenkov's testimony favored Sotnikova.

Sotnikova, 17 when she won at Sochi 2014, was named in an evidence disclosure package published with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-commissioned McLaren Report as one athlete about whom scratches indicative of tampering were found on test tubes in which urine samples were submitted.

insidethegames understands that former Moscow laboratory director Grigory Rodchenkov, the main witness in the McLaren Report, claimed she was not part of the programme.

Exclusive: Olympic figure skating champion cleared of doping charge by IOC but four Russian skiers disqualified

International Olympic Committee (IOC) Disciplinary Committee proceedings have today been dropped against Russia's Sochi 2014 figure skating champion A...

www.insidethegames.biz

 

[caseyedwards]

The lab is Sochi was not Russias. It was wadas. The whole thing makes no sense. If there were shenanigans it was done at the highest levels of WADA

 

[On My Own]

Maybe I am reading too much into the translation, but here's what is suspicious:

Perhaps it was another way to suppress the Russian athlete because, remembering 2014 when they said after some time that they found doping in my probe and I was supposed to have a trial and everything, but then I was acquitted because the second sample was opened and everything was fine. But this is a different story. I felt terrible, I was in a depressed state. And imagine: a child who performed, already won gold, and she just needed to go out again and win gold one more time… well, of course, we had other girls who competed, and it was unpredictable who would win.” said Sotnikova on TatarkaFM

It reads to me that Sotnikova is using her story to push the narrative that Valieva was held down. As in, "doping is fine because every one does it", but "only Russians are caught". Reads to me like Sotnikova indeed might have done it at some point during the season, even before we get to the icarus stuff.

 

[Rob]

Sigh. I'm still sad I didn't get my Mao-Yuna-Carolina podium in 2014. And this "revelation" doesn't make it better.

That is also what I wanted! And this "revelation" probably makes Gracie Gold sad too.

 

[coppertop1]

Maybe I am reading too much into the translation, but here's what is suspicious:



It reads to me that Sotnikova is using her story to push the narrative that Valieva was held down. As in, "doping is fine because every one does it", but "only Russians are caught". Reads to me like Sotnikova indeed might have done it at some point during the season, even before we get to the icarus stuff.

"Only Russians are caught". So, they're saying they're both very good at cheating?

 

[Rob]

Do we know which of her samples had the scratching on it, or was it both? And was that the only issue or was it actually positive?

My recollection of the McLaren report: I think it was the B vials that had the scratching - because the B vials were supposed to be tamper proof sealed until later testing at request of the athlete so they devised a tool to open them and swap out the sample with the vial still looking sealed to the naked eye. The tool sometimes left the scratches. The A samples were opened and tested within a day or two so they had a stopper and not a tamper proof storage cap.

I had heard of the scratching in Sotnikova's B sample, but I think this is the first time we are hearing of a positive test? So if her B sample was tested, it is possible they swapped the sample after they heard of the positive result. She was not on the "Duchess" list of athletes who were state approved dopers/had clean samples in storage/had their vials automatically swapped by Russian security in the middle of the night, but perhaps they swapped the B sample after she requested that it be opened? So they left the figure skating doping up to the coaches? Speculation.

My understanding from the report that that they do a preliminary test on the A sample - if it is suspicious they do full analysis on the rest of the A sample. So perhaps that is what happened and they never tested B (but why the scratches then? And she said the "second sample" was opened).

Someone needs to make Gracie a replica medal.

 

[kwanfan1818]

She was not on the "Duchess" list of athletes who were state approved dopers/had clean samples in storage/had their vials automatically swapped by Russian security in the middle of the night, but perhaps they swapped the B sample after she requested that it be opened?

That makes sense. If her A sample was positive, she would have been given the choice to open the B sample, so if she made that decision, they'd want to be sure that B was clean by swapping out the sample.

 

[fan]

That makes sense. If her A sample was positive, she would have been given the choice to open the B sample, so if she made that decision, they'd want to be sure that B was clean by swapping out the sample.

imagine how gold's trajectory might have been different if she was the sochi bronze medallist...

 

[Karen-W]

imagine how gold's trajectory might have been different if she was the sochi bronze medallist...

I would imagine even more pressure from her family, the USFS, the media, etc would have been heaped on her. I don't even want to contemplate a possible different trajectory for her under additional pressure and expectations - not especially knowing what the level of pressure she had on her DID to her health as well as the incoming juggernaut that was Team Tutberidze.

 

[kwanfan1818]

"Imagine" works for the good as well as the bad. Although once her book comes out, it will be easier to project the details of the bad, and whether it would have postponed or precipitated the storm of issues she faced.

 

[SkateFanBerlin]

imagine how gold's trajectory might have been different if she was the sochi bronze medallist...

Gold referred to this in an interview. She said the sample taking room was chaos with lots of unauthorized people there. She recognized this was completely incorrect and that probably some form of cheating was going on. The girl`s not stupid.

 

[SkateFanBerlin]

I would imagine even more pressure from her family, the USFS, the media, etc would have been heaped on her. I don't even want to contemplate a possible different trajectory for her under additional pressure and expectations - not especially knowing what the level of pressure she had on her DID to her health as well as the incoming juggernaut that was Team Tutberidze.

Yeah, but at Sochi she was just off a nationals win and appeared to be excited to be there. The troubles came later when she had to fight her way back and prove she was a champion. What every elite woman skater is realizing is that between the doping and crazy, unhealthy training practices by the Russians winning after Sochi was near impossible.

 

[PRlady]

The Sot interview about Sochi has disappeared according to FSGossips. I’m so unshocked.

The video where Adelina Sotnikova talked about her problematic doping test has disappeared from the YouTube channel where it was posted

The video in which Sotnikova talked about her problematic doping test has disappeared from the Tatarka FM YouTube channel.

fs-gossips.com

 

[Rukia]

MESS

 

[EdgyIceMarks]

It is still around, just not on YouTube.
https://dzen.ru/video/watch/642422b09b20746119fba279

 

[On My Own]

And as expected...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1677113004213805057

 

[_Lola_]

And you are still missing the overall point I was making. When 75% of the skaters serving a doping suspension are Russian, that's indicative of a larger problem. One would think, if the problem is merely no-name, limited-talent athletes doping that there would be some US, Canadian, Dutch, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Norwegian, and French skaters on the list, in addition to the two relatively unknown German and Swiss (well, she's Ameri-Swiss) skaters currently serving a doping suspension. The common thread isn't their level of success but their nationality.

Maybe some nations just know their way around it, that's why? Just recently, Jessica Calalang was cleared, as she managed to prove that the forbidden substance was suddenly in her lotion or makeup that she always used. Norwegians don't have many figure skaters, but Norwegian skiers are notorious for having asthma and, therefore, therapeutic exemptions. My favorite recent case, however, is that of a European athlete who was cleared because she proved that the banned substance was in her dog's medicine. As for high-profile figure skaters from other countries, is Laurine Lecavalier not banned from competing? The Spanish pair skater Laura Barquero under investigation is an Olympian and a high-profile athlete for her country as well.

For the cultural context: meldonium has been very widely used in Russia outside of sport. It was openly said that the reason for adding it to the investigations and later to the doping list was evidence of its use by winning athletes. So yes, at the time, it totally felt like: All Russians use it; it must be doping; let's call it doping.

 

[SkateFanBerlin]

Does anyone know? With Russia out of ISU competitions are their skaters still being tested for doping - besides by Russian Fed?

 

[skatingguy]

Does anyone know? With Russia out of ISU competitions are their skaters still being tested for doping - besides by Russian Fed?

The only testing would be by RUSADA, or the anti-doping agency in the country in which they are training.

 

[skatingguy]

Maybe some nations just know their way around it, that's why? Just recently, Jessica Calalang was cleared, as she managed to prove that the forbidden substance was suddenly in her lotion or makeup that she always used.

There was no forbidden substance in her makeup. Calalang tested positive for a metabolite of a forbidden substance, and the product in her makeup also happens to produce the same metabolite.

 

[_Lola_]

There was no forbidden substance in her makeup. Calalang tested positive for a metabolite of a forbidden substance, and the product in her makeup also happens to produce the same metabolite.

Thank you for the clarification. I returned to the source article and also found the following bit:

"In June, Calalang's attorney, Howard Jacobs, informed Calalang that there were potential changes in rules relating to 4-CPA that were being voted on at the end of September. If those new rules passed, there wouldn't be any violation on her end".

Do you know that ISU just introduced an exception for pairs age limits, so Baram and Toumientsev can still be juniors? Not related to doping, but related to the argument. There are always ways around, if needed.

 

[skatingguy]

Thank you for the clarification. I returned to the source article and also found the following bit:

"In June, Calalang's attorney, Howard Jacobs, informed Calalang that there were potential changes in rules relating to 4-CPA that were being voted on at the end of September. If those new rules passed, there wouldn't be any violation on her end".

Yes, changes in the regulation due to false positives would seem to be sensible decision.

Do you know that ISU just introduced an exception for pairs age limits, so Baram and Toumientsev can still be juniors? Not related to doping, but related to the argument. There are always ways around, if needed.

I didn't know that until now, but this was something that was expected, and won't just affect Baram/Toumientsev. This decision is in keeping with previous changes in age-eligibility rules where exceptions were granted to athletes who competed prior to the rule change.

 

[her grace]

Maybe some nations just know their way around it, that's why? Just recently, Jessica Calalang was cleared, as she managed to prove that the forbidden substance was suddenly in her lotion or makeup that she always used. Norwegians don't have many figure skaters, but Norwegian skiers are notorious for having asthma and, therefore, therapeutic exemptions. My favorite recent case, however, is that of a European athlete who was cleared because she proved that the banned substance was in her dog's medicine. As for high-profile figure skaters from other countries, is Laurine Lecavalier not banned from competing? The Spanish pair skater Laura Barquero under investigation is an Olympian and a high-profile athlete for her country as well.

So is your point that skaters from other countries actually get punished when they are caught doping?

 

[_Lola_]

So is your point that skaters from other countries actually get punished when they are caught doping?

Have you read the post I was answering? Please do, and you'll figure out what the argument was and why. The answer to your question is obviously yes: people of different nations, including high-profile figure skaters from various nations - such as France, Spain, and the USA, got caught. Some nations, however, find their way around.

 

[_Lola_]

I didn't know that until now, but this was something that was expected, and won't just affect Baram/Toumientsev.

Who else does it affect among the top contenders? As we know, the US has a problem with the culture of grooming in pair skating. It is caused by many things, including the large age gaps between pair ladies and pair men. This decision to increase the age limit for women, which was initiated as a response to young Russians dominating the ladies, was supposed to protect young women, right? Why then are we not protecting young women from potential grooming, allowing the large age gap to exist, and even enabling it with this new regulation?

 

[skatingguy]

Who else does it affect among the top contenders? As we know, the US has a problem with the culture of grooming in pair skating. It is caused by many things, including the large age gaps between pair ladies and pair men. This decision to increase the age limit for women, which was initiated as a response to young Russians dominating the ladies, was supposed to protect young women, right? Why then are we not protecting young women from potential grooming, allowing the large age gap to exist, and even enabling it with this new regulation?

The age-eligibility rule change had nothing to do with grooming, it was about aligning the rules for pairs, and ice dance with the singles age-eligibility rules. Granting a pass to teams that had trained and competed under the previous rule is entirely in keeping with previous ISU age-eligibility rule changes.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Granting a pass to teams that had trained and competed under the previous rule is entirely in keeping with previous ISU age-eligibility rule changes.

In the past, skaters had been grandfathered in. It's easier in singles, though, while with Dance and Pairs, there are not only two people's ages to consider, but different ages by gender.

The other two teams that this would have impacted were Murakami/Moraguchi (Jr. Worlds #4) had they not split and Ackerman/Harms, who are rumored to have. The latter weren't contenders, 13th out of 14th at Jr. Worlds, but it was their first international season. I don't see any Dance teams where the woman wouldn't be eligible for Seniors.

The discussions occurred before the M/M split, and trying to be fair to two of the top four Pairs teams sounds reasonable to me.

 

[Sylvia]

Yonhap News Agency article today (July 11, 2023):

S. Korea to ask IOC to look into Russian figure skater's doping admission | Yonhap News Agency

SEOUL, July 11 (Yonhap) -- The top South Korean sports body said Tuesday it will ask the I...

en.yna.co.kr

The top South Korean sports body said Tuesday it will ask the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to investigate a recent doping admission by a Russian figure skater who beat South Korean star Kim Yu-na for the controversial gold at the 2014 Winter Games.
The move by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) comes in light of a recent acknowledgement by Adelina Sotnikova, the 2014 Olympic women's singles figure skating champion, that she had a positive doping test in 2014, though she was cleared by her second, "B," sample. [...]
The Korea Anti-Doping Agency is gathering relevant data and information," a KSOC official said. "After we collect the information we need, we will ask the IOC to look into Sotnikova's case. She said herself that she tested positive in her A sample but negative in her B sample. This is an extremely rare instance that needs reinvestigation. Since drug testing technology has improved over the years, we think they should be able to find something that they couldn't in the past."

 

[On My Own]

Would be hilarious if Sotnikova's foot in mouth syndrome leads to her being stripped of a medal.