Valieva Banned for Four Years, Effective December 25, 2021

[nyrak]

They are lying. There was no doping violation during Olympics

Why do you support doping/cheating? She shouldn't have been at the Olympics anyway. The real victim here is Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, who watched the Olympics from home.

 

[caseyedwards]

Why do you support doping/cheating? She shouldn't have been at the Olympics anyway. The real victim here is Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, who watched the Olympics from home.

There’s no evidence this wasn’t an accident

 

[Coco]

It's not a question of if they could have competed with only 3 athletes. In other team sports, a DQ for one athlete is a DQ for the team. See the example of the 2000 women's gymnastics team event. Dong Fangxiao was found to be underage after the fact. They didn't simply delete her results and recalculate the team event scores as if she wasn't there (even though that is possible in gymnastics). They DQed the whole team. The team COULD have competed without her, but that didn't come into play. She competed and a team with an ineligible athlete is fully DQed.

This is a better comparison than Raducan in the All-Around.

But it should be added that this way of handling things was perhaps influenced by what happened in 2008, where the US women lost a gold to the Chinese women, who were also allegedly using ineligible gymnasts.

Happily for FIG and IOC, the US was the team that went from no medal to bronze by the 2000 Chinese team's disqualification.

So this was a harsh decision when viewed in isolation, especially because there was still a dropped score in gymnastics at this time that could have been substituted for the ineligible gymnast's score, but a compromise decision in light of allegations against the 2008 team.

 

[ignosk8er]

Truly I'm happiest for him. He's really put his neck out and been honest about how this has been for him and everyone involved. I hope he's already updated his resume to say Olympic champion Vincent Zhou.

Me too. I've gained huge respect for him since the Olys.

I think he's updated his IG:
• US Figure Skater | Olympic & World Medalist
• Economics @ BrownU
• TedX Speaker | AAPI & Youth Leader
• Writer @tears__in__rain

 

[YourBorneo]

I love the spin attempts as if “you don’t know what really happened, she could have been sleeping on her back in a field of poppies and some TMZ-filled rain droplets fell from the sky and went into her open mouth and you can’t prove this didn’t happen and therefore she cannot be guilty.” This is all two years too late, if you ask me.

The CAS ruling is very clear that she is responsible and is being held accountable. Get over it.

 

[fan]

What a safe, generic statement that still avoids advocating for its athletes.

did you expect any different or better? sigh.

 

[Barbara Manatee]

Fantastic news! Every clean athlete affected by this whole mess has lost things that can never be fully restored, but I hope it helps to see justice done.

Now fix the Olympic rules so they apply equally to all competitors regardless of age.

 

[skategal]

I love the spin attempts as if “you don’t know what really happened, she could have been sleeping on her back in a field of poppies and some TMZ-filled rain droplets fell from the sky and went into her open mouth and you can’t prove this didn’t happen and therefore she cannot be guilty.” This is all two years too late, if you ask me.

The CAS ruling is very clear that she is responsible and is being held accountable. Get over it.

Yes and her own statements and lawyers don’t even say anything like that.

Her defence was she got it from Grandpa.

Unlikely she got it from Grandpa but she admits she actually took TMZ herself.

So I’m not sure what those spin attempts are trying to prove.

 

[Yazmeen]

There’s no evidence this wasn’t an accident

It doesn’t matter; she was doped even if she didn’t do it herself. And if you really believe it was “accidental,” I have a bridge for sale for you.

In Brooklyn.

Cheap…

And really, aren’t you still too busy demanding that Evan Lysacek should have his gold medal revoked to even fret about this?

 

[barbk]

Fantastic news! Every clean athlete affected by this whole mess has lost things that can never be fully restored, but I hope it helps to see justice done.

Now fix the Olympic rules so they apply equally to all competitors regardless of age.

The statement indicated that the doping rules don't vary based on age.
"The CAS Panel stressed that the test with respect to intention under Clause 12.2 of the Russian ADR is one and the same whether the athlete is an adult or a Protected Person. It means that if a Protected Person fails to discharge the burden (which under the Russian ADR is borne by the athlete) that he or she did not commit ADRV intentionally, there is no basis under the rules to treat them any differently from an
adult athlete."

 

[crzesk8dad]

Any word on when we can expect the medals for the team event?

My bet is they will be presented at 2024 Worlds. But, a trip to Paris on IOC's tab, in six months, would be nice, too!

 

[barbk]

The statement indicated that the doping rules don't vary based on age.
"The CAS Panel stressed that the test with respect to intention under Clause 12.2 of the Russian ADR is one and the same whether the athlete is an adult or a Protected Person. It means that if a Protected Person fails to discharge the burden (which under the Russian ADR is borne by the athlete) that he or she did not commit ADRV intentionally, there is no basis under the rules to treat them any differently from an
adult athlete."

I'm unclear as to why the Russian ADR applies vs. an international rule.

 

[barbk]

I'm unclear as to why the Russian ADR applies vs. an international rule.

Especially if that leaves the door open for the Russian's to set a rule going forward that protected persons don't have responsibility for drugging offenses.

 

[Ena Grins]

Also, generally WADA does not care very much if something was an accident. Athletes are considered responsible for paying attention to and knowing what they use, take, and ingest. I think people forget that's what made the original decision to allow her to compete at the Olympics so shocking - it was completely out of line with how most other doping cases are treated regardless of intent.

 

[YourBorneo]

Yes and her own statements and lawyers don’t even say anything like that.

Her defence was she got it from Grandpa.

Unlikely she got it from Grandpa but she admits she actually took TMZ herself.

So I’m not sure what those spin attempts are trying to prove.

It’s disinformation that attempts to introduce fake information - deliberately intended to mislead others with the desired result of good people wasting energy sorting truth from lies, becoming exhausted and ultimately disengaging from the entire matter. Energy and attention no longer focused on the original problem (why the Russian doping machine and this individual case matter) just reinforces the status quo and minimizes the potential for change and progress that would strip them of power/prestige/position.

 

[Rukia]

My bet is they will be presented at 2024 Worlds. But, a trip to Paris on IOC's tab, in six months, would be nice, too!

I mean the IOC was giving them big talk about throwing them the best medal ceremony blah blah, so I would hope they plan to do something for them at an Olympics

 

[dewey]

Note that her suspension will end just before the 2026 Olympics.

 

[overedge]

Time to celebrate @Andrey aka Pushkin emoji which now will always remind us of this time.

 

[genevieve]

i'm so sad we were denied Alexa's olympic champion swagger era

I mean we did get her world champion swagger. But who knows, the Oly swagger might have pushed her to be a two-time world champ!!

 

[Barbara Manatee]

The statement indicated that the doping rules don't vary based on age.

Doping is illegal regardless of age, but the rules for responding to a doping violation treat minors differently.

 

[Rukia]

I mean we did get her world champion swagger. But who knows, the Oly swagger might have pushed her to be a two-time world champ!!

right like truly we will never know what fully powered up Alexa Knierim is like and that is devastating for society as a whole and me specifically

 

[Carolla5501]

There’s no evidence this wasn’t an accident

Bless your heart... you can't face reality can you. You really should get help! But then we would not be treated to your fantasyland statements LOL!

 

[peibeck]

I was thinking it would be more like “We offer you unlimited TimBits and a personal meet and greet with Justin Trudeau.”

Off to create some medals.... Back soon!

 

[Firedancer]

I'm unclear as to why the Russian ADR applies vs. an international rule.

I think because the positive test result occurred at Russian nationals

 

[peibeck]

On the basis of being clean athletes, yes, but I wouldn't say there was anything good going on in their skating to really actually be deserving of a medal.

If that was the criteria, we shouldn't have awarded too many medals at the US Championships this past weekend either, especially in pairs.

 

[Rainbow]

This is a better comparison than Raducan in the All-Around.

But it should be added that this way of handling things was perhaps influenced by what happened in 2008, where the US women lost a gold to the Chinese women, who were also allegedly using ineligible gymnasts.

Happily for FIG and IOC, the US was the team that went from no medal to bronze by the 2000 Chinese team's disqualification.

So this was a harsh decision when viewed in isolation, especially because there was still a dropped score in gymnastics at this time that could have been substituted for the ineligible gymnast's score, but a compromise decision in light of allegations against the 2008 team.

The Rythmic Gymnastics Worlds 2001 would be a pretty accurate comparison. Even the timeline with delayed test results is similar. The whole Russian Team was disqualified https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_World_Rhythmic_Gymnastics_Championships

 

[Karen-W]

i'm so sad we were denied Alexa's olympic champion swagger era

Why do you support doping/cheating? She shouldn't have been at the Olympics anyway. The real victim here is Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, who watched the Olympics from home.

These are the two real tragedies of this situation. We were denied Alexa in all of her Olympic champion swagger glory and we were denied La Tukt being able to call herself an Olympian. If the ROC and RFSF had any self-respect, they'd name Liza to their 2026 Olympic team.

 

[Hedwig]

The Rythmic Gymnastics Worlds 2001 would be a pretty accurate comparison. Even the timeline with delayed test results is similar. The whole Russian Team was disqualified https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_World_Rhythmic_Gymnastics_Championships

oh what a surprise. Russia. Doping. I never would have thought.



really - if we never see them on international competitions again it is still too bloody soon. I am so fecking over them.

 

[Spiralgraph]

Nathan Chen is a 2X Gold Medalist! Vincent Zhou is a gold medalist! And Alexa, Brandon, Karen, Maddi H and Zach, Maddie C and Evan.
Honestly I was half afraid a couple of them would be gone from this Earth before justice prevailed. Now I want to see a medal ceremony!

 

[airgelaal]

4 years for a minor athlete. Now it seems to me that all this delaying the decision was not for nothing. I hope this is not the last decision.