Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was disqualified from the 2022 Olympics on Monday, almost two years after her doping case caused turmoil at the Beijing Games.

The verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport means the Russians are set to be stripped of the gold medal in figure skating’s team event. The United States finished second and is set to be named Olympic champion instead.

The International Olympic Committee decided not to present any medals for the event in Beijing, where the 15-year-old Valieva was the star performer hours before her positive test for a banned heart medicine was revealed.

CAS said it upheld appeals led by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which asked the court to disqualify Valieva from the Olympics and ban her. A Russian sports tribunal had cleared her of any blame.

  • Rikudou_SageA
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    7010 months ago

    Russians and doping, name a more iconic duo.

  • @pjwestin@lemmy.world
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    2610 months ago

    I feel really bad for this girl. Disqualifying her was the right move, but I highly doubt a fifteen-year-old representing Russia in the Olympics was given much choice as to whether she wanted to use performance enhancers or not. On top of that, she got four year ban from professional skating, which basically robbed her of her peak professional years. Her career was basically destroyed by something that was, best case senerio, a mistake she made at fifteen or, wost (and more likely) case, something that was forced on her by her trainers/managers.

    • themeatbridge
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      210 months ago

      Yeah, like you don’t get that moment back, standing on the podium while your national anthem plays.

  • @Everythingispenguins@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    That took a long fucking time. Opposed to the US sprinter who tested positive for a non-performance enhancing drug (weed) and was giving a suspension just 9 days after initial test results. Keeping her from even going to her games.

    This girl had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and was still allowed to compete. So they could take the next two years to get their shit together. Look I know she was 15 and probably had a choice on where to take them, but that doesn’t justify the wildly different responses.

    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/sha-carri-richardson-could-miss-olympics-after-failed-drug-test-n1272960

    Spelling

  • @robocall@lemmy.world
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    2010 months ago

    Imagine winning the gold medal two years after you lost it. Imagine trying to explain the celebration party to people and them not caring or believing you.

    • Dr. Bluefall
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      1010 months ago

      I imagine that does undercut the excitement on some level.

      Like, it’s an amazing achievement nonetheless, but like… the wind’s already gone. Sail’s empty.

  • @PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works
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    10 months ago

    Man I feel bad for her. She was only 15 and probably didn’t have much of a say in the matter. It’s the right call, but still, I do feel for her.

      • circuscritic
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        10 months ago

        This reminds me of when Trump called a race horse a junkie after winning the Kentucky Derby and being disqualified for a failed drug test. As if the horse was tying off and shooting up in the stable outhouse.

        While this child has more agency than a horse, it’s not like she had a choice in the matter.

        Is it right for her for be DQ’d? Yes, but she’s still a victim.

        Don’t lose sight of the fact that she’s was a child made to take drugs by her own government.

        • Flying SquidM
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          410 months ago

          This reminds me of when Trump called a race horse a junkie after winning the Kentucky Derby and being disqualified for a failed drug test.

          Wait…

          Trump literally compared himself to a racehorse yesterday to show how he has good genes (because his uncle was an MIT professor and apparently the brother of a winning racehorse is just as good as a winning racehorse).

        • @villainy@lemmy.world
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          110 months ago

          As if the horse was tying off and shooting up in the stable outhouse.

          This episode of BoJack just got real dark.

      • @girlfreddy@lemmy.ca
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        610 months ago

        She probably had no choice in the matter and trusted her coach and medical team to do the right thing.

        Kids in the Olympics is a double edged sword.

        • @brbposting@sh.itjust.works
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          310 months ago

          Indeed. Shoulda said something like:

          Right. Imagine too if she could’ve won even without the drugs she was supplied (by those who may have paid little mind to their potential long-term health impacts on her).

  • @YeetPics@mander.xyz
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    1110 months ago

    Wow this is the first time ever I’ve heard of Russia cheating on something because they couldn’t win from skill alone.

    /S

    • @ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.world
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      210 months ago

      I strongly disagree. The Olympics are one of the best things humanity does. Are the people running it corrupt scum? Pretty much. But the Olympics are one of the only times the whole world comes together to at least attempt to do something positive.

      Also, have you ever watched the 49 kg (108 lb) women’s weightlifting competition? They look like ants lifting multiple times their body weight. It’s fucking awesome.

      • Aniki 🌱🌿
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        -110 months ago

        I’d rather not reward the IOC with my patronage and eyeballs viewing the blatant consumerism and capitalistic nature of what should be a wonderful event. The IOC takes home billions and the athletes get nothing.

        Sorry, I vote with my wallet and my principles.

        • @deranger@sh.itjust.works
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          110 months ago

          I don’t think either of you is wrong. One of you is talking about the concept of the Olympics and the other the IOC.

            • @deranger@sh.itjust.works
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              010 months ago

              Just because the organizers suck doesn’t mean the concept of a global competition that pushes the limits of what humans can achieve is a bad idea

              • @Rodeo@lemmy.ca
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                110 months ago

                That’s not what was said though. They didn’t talk about the concept, they spoke about the Olympics. They straight out said:

                The Olympics are one of the best things humanity does. … the Olympics are one of the only times the whole world comes together to at least attempt to do something positive.

                Which is objectively untrue. It is not a global positivity exercise; it is not the world “coming together”. That’s just their marketing bullshit.

                It is just a business that profits off people without compensating them.

  • Kata1yst
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    910 months ago

    Man, all these world class athletes from Russia have these horrible heart conditions at such young ages!

    Must be something in the water…

  • brezel
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    810 months ago

    i will never understand why anyone lets russia compete in anything. they just always lie and cheat.

    • Brad Boimler
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      -210 months ago

      I mean the US and many other athletes have been caught before cheating this isn’t new. Canada the US, Sweden and, Spain just to name a few.

      • circuscritic
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        10 months ago

        The issue wasn’t athletes cheating individually. The issue was that Russia had a state sponsored doping program from top to bottom. That is significantly different than one off athletes, or one off coaches.

      • @Ranvier@sopuli.xyz
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        10 months ago

        This is not just some random athletes doing it on their own here and there. There was (still is? Who knows) a Russian government run program to allow for doping and help their athletes evade monitoring from anti doping authorities. Likely at least 580 postive tests across 30 different sports covered up. Team USA doesn’t even get government funding, let alone a government run doping conspiracy.

        https://www.bbc.com/sport/36823453

        • circuscritic
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          10 months ago

          Saying Team USA doesn’t get government funding is inaccurate.

          It’s not a holistic nationalized system like many other countries have, but that doesn’t mean Team USA athletes and athletic programs aren’t direct recipients of government financial support.

          For example:

          Team USA athletes have access to some of the best training facilities and coaching teams in the world, many of which get direct, or indirect government funding e.g. grants, subsidies, tax incentives, etc.

          On a side note, that’s a great graphic. I was going to mention the hole in the wall in my other comment, but I was too lazy to go grab a source. Kudos.

      • @nymwit@lemm.ee
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        210 months ago

        wasn’t the big deal with the Russians that it was at the level of the entire organization rather than done by limited specific individuals?

      • circuscritic
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        10 months ago

        Isn’t it more racist to act as if being Russian is a singular racial demographic?

        Russia is an empire, a decaying one, but still, it’s full of a wide variety of different racial groups that aren’t Slavic in origin.

        Also, when people criticize the actions of the American government, should we all accuse them of being racist towards… Americans?

  • @Fades@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    Just another dirty Russian cheater, second only to china’s culture of cheating/theft.

    This poor girl was undoubtedly forced into taking the meds, ruining her future.

  • Echo Dot
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    610 months ago

    Why on earth would they try doping? They know that people are tested, I don’t get how they think that’s going to work. They either need to stop cheating, or they need to get much better at it.

  • AutoTL;DRB
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    110 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was disqualified from the 2022 Olympics on Monday, almost two years after her doping case caused turmoil at the Beijing Games.

    The verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport means the Russians are set to be stripped of the gold medal in figure skating’s team event.

    The International Olympic Committee decided not to present any medals for the event in Beijing, where the 15-year-old Valieva was the star performer hours before her positive test for a banned heart medicine was revealed.

    There was “no basis under the rules to treat them any differently from an adult athlete,” said the court, which did not publish its detailed verdict pending a review of confidentiality issues.

    The case provoked legal chaos at the Olympics because Valieva’s sample, taken six weeks earlier at the Russian national championships, was not notified by a laboratory in Sweden until hours after she competed in the team event on Feb. 7, 2022.

    The reaction of her coach, Eteri Tutberidze, was fiercely criticized by skating experts and International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach.


    The original article contains 540 words, the summary contains 184 words. Saved 66%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!