Kamila Valieva: Anti-doping Case and Follow-ups

[Plisskin]

Wow, I'm not the biggest Davis/ Smolkin fan but that was GARBAGE of Christine. I mean...how else is she supposed to feel? Regardless of what anyone thinks about Eteri, that is her mother 1st and foremost.

 

[Haikush]

Wow, I'm not the biggest Davis/ Smolkin fan but that was GARBAGE of Christine. I mean...how else is she supposed to feel? Regardless of what anyone thinks about Eteri, that is her mother 1st and foremost.

Brennan is the worst kind of a so called journalist..total jerk

 

[Scott512]

What the hell !?
No idea who that sorry excuse of a woman is but this is disgraceful. They should have walked away and left her standing there mid sentence after the first time Gleb told her they won't comment on this topic.

Brennan is trash always has been always will be. She rails against these kids when they are making their Olympic debug.. ino wonder Brennan is so hated. Sally Jenkins on the other hand is a great journalist tough and fair there is nothing fair about Christine Brennan. She has taken Russophobia in the media to an all new level and she's been that way for 15 years.

Why would the Russian figure skating Federation even subject Diana and Gleb to someone like Christine Brennan? Rusfed is just not on the ball about a lot of things.
The rest of the Olympics Russian athletes should just do their skates and then go back to where they're staying avoid the media at all costs.

 

[Mista Ekko]

Why would the Russian figure skating Federation even subject Diana and Gleb to someone like Christine Brennan? Rusfed is just not on the ball about a lot of things.
The rest of the Olympics Russian athletes should just do their skates and then go back to where they're staying avoid the media at all costs.

Yea I'm surprised she managed to get an entire minute with them in between Olympic skates,
good for her I guess, even though the content was but who allowed that to happen?

 

[millie]

I am wondering if the shoe was on the other foot, would people have a different opinion on this subject. For example, if it had been a Canadian figure skater charged with doping, would these people give the skater, the benefit of doubt. Just asking…

 

[Amei]

I am wondering if the shoe was on the other foot, would people have a different opinion on this subject. For example, if it had been a Canadian figure skater charged with doping, would these people give the skater, the benefit of doubt. Just asking…

Most people on here are giving Valieva the benefit of the doubt that she didn't intentionally take something.

 

[Mista Ekko]

I am wondering if the shoe was on the other foot, would people have a different opinion on this subject. For example, if it had been a Canadian figure skater charged with doping, would these people give the skater, the benefit of doubt. Just asking…

I would assume had any minor athlete been caught with a banned substance in their system,
the initial assumption of most people would be that they didn't create that situation on their own.

 

[Scott512]

I think that's jumping to conclusions too fast, Carolina Kostner received a 2 year suspension in age 27
and ended up coming back to compete in the final group at the Olympics and win the World SP at age 31,
I don't know what's gonna happen with the Women division but you might even see a raise in Senior
age to 17, so nothing is "ruined" for a talent like Valieva, but I assume due to her age they will never
suspend her for such a long period anyway, but it's too early to know what might happen to her school.

Do you think being only 15 and a minor will help KV with her penalties? Some people are thinking that and we will find out in less than 2 days.

What was Kostner suspended for? She got 2 years but she was an adult Valleva is a minor so the worst would probably be one year although that would be crushing.

I hope CAS and ISU and IOC are able to seperate Kamila and this incident from the Russian PED scandal from 2014. But I read the ISU has sent three letters to KV to be suspended the handwriting is on the wall as to what will happen unless CAS shocks us all or there's information that we don't know about that can change things. That is highly unlikely but you never know.

 

[Skater Boy]

The situation of Kamila Valieva will cause many differing opinions and thoughts. Some major trends including cheaters should not benefit, Russia is a cheat and has been a cheat, Valieva must not skate as it sends a message, children are children; the real victim is Valieva. We do not know how this substance created this positive - test - did Valieva take it on purpose and knowingly? Did someone for whatever reason try to sabatoge her, it is a false positive, her coaches or parents told her this is her vitamins or whatever and to take it. In the end this situation maybe reflects a bigger problem the drive and need to win a gold medal.

The value of a gold medal - pride, self esteem, money, wealth, endorsements, prestige has led individuals, sporting feds and nations maybe to forget some important things in life. A athlete with a gold medal is treated with utmost repect and revered but those teaching, feeding, caring and protecting people do not get the same respect in our world. Russia isn't only guilty. Alysa Liu the designer baby not only was formed with oly gold in mind but her constant move and even last minute move to different coaches is about winning. Exchange of words, "aggressive" skating in warm ups, thousands of dollars being invested in competitors, in skating we have Vera Wang designing costumes for the American elite Like in life a lot of the top skaters while very talented also require luck and often money with no guarantees. Tomorrow we will get a decision about a young girl who really is the puppet and pawn. EVen if she gets to skate, her life if not ruined is damaged. EVen if she gets to skate one can see it won't be the same and she probably won't do her best - she's human; she's 15. Can you imagine the pressure.

My guess we won't see Valieva skate. I hope she is being watched mentally. And she will be the face of what is wrong with sport. She was undoubtedly the pawn in taking the medication assuming it was not sabatoge. And she will be the scapegoat for Russia and the sport. IN some ways we all created this environment. And now a 15 year old stands judged for the sins not of her own. A 15 year old sacrifice.

 

[Scott512]

This Brennan has some darkness inside her. To embarrass Diana for her English in front of the media? And you can see the mechanics whirring in her brain trying to turn this into a sexism issue of Gleb.

Brennan is as vile as journalists come and she doesn't hide it.

The why would the Russian Federation subject EGs daughter to this when they know damn well what's going to happen. Do they hate Eteri that much to have her daughter the emotionally distraught after her Olympic debut to talk with Brennan who is out to hurt them?

 

[Mista Ekko]

Do you think being only 15 and a minor will help KV with her penalties? Some people are thinking that and we will find out in less than 2 days.

What was Kostner suspended for? She got 2 years but she was an adult Valleva is a minor so the worst would probably be one year although that would be crushing.

Yes, I think they will be significantly more lenient on Kamila due to her being a minor, I think we've had
indication to that somewhere along this thread in the links, but like you said, in a couple days we'll know.

Kostner wasn't doping, but her then boyfriend was, he was staying in her house and when drug testers came
over there looking for him he asked her to tell them he's not there and she did, she claims she didn't know
he was even doping, but she still "did her time"

 

[Scott512]

Yea I'm surprised she managed to get an entire minute with them in between Olympic skates,
good for her I guess, even though the content was but who allowed that to happen?

Dummies allowed that to happen.

All any of the Russian figure skater should do from here on out it's make a statement to their publicist to tell the world what they said.

 

[yume]

I am wondering if the shoe was on the other foot, would people have a different opinion on this subject. For example, if it had been a Canadian figure skater charged with doping, would these people give the skater, the benefit of doubt. Just asking…

If it was Alysa Liu, maybe.

 

[Lechat]

No matter the result ... what is happening is complete unethical and cruel to Kamila ... no matter if she has fault or not...

In what she’s at fault ? She’s not a doctor who deliberately chose her drug.
I’m furious at the person who gave her the wrong medicine knowing it was a banished one. He or she could use another one allowed.

 

[Mista Ekko]

In what she’s at fault ? She’s not a doctor who deliberately chose her drug.
I’m furious at the person who gave her the wrong medicine knowing it was a banished one. He or she could use another one allowed.

There's a lot of speculation in your post, we still don't know what happened.

 

[Mathman]

What was Kostner suspended for?

If I remember the details right, Kostner got suspenderd not for taking drugs herself, but for protecting her boyfriend (a competitive walk racer). The testing people showed up at their door and demeanded a sample from him, but he hid while Carolina falsely told the testing people that he wansn't home.

Something like that.

 

[Lechat]

What would you do to 'improve her well being' and how these actions will have this effect (how you can be sure), can you explain?

I don’t see how she could be better. The damage is done.
I only hope the truth will prevail

 

[noskates]

Brennan might have participated in many sports and might have spoken up for women's rights and yada! yada! yada! But she thrives on sensationalism, skews things to her own opinion, is merciless when she's trying to get the answer she wants, and if I had a child that skated I wouldn't let him or her near her. It's reporting like that that is turning this situation into a free-for-all more than it already is.

I stand by my opinion. Kami must not skate. If she does, that just gives the wrong message to future "teams" that would consider doping. She's very young and she's obviously very gifted and we won't have seen the last of her. Whether she's innocent or not, there has to be consequences and she unfortunately will be victimized by what has happened.

 

[Mathman]

We can all help by posting on the "Kamilla Valieva support group" thread in the main Edge folder. It is lagging behind -- only 2 pages of responses, compared to 76 for this thread.

 

[Fanof]

Lkely best case scenario versus unlikely best case scenario and likely worst case scenario versus unlikely worth case scenario.

Likely best case scenario: KV gets a 6 month suspension immediately pending further investigation. But gets the start again in the fall.

Unlikely best case scenario: KV gets to skate in the Olympics pending further investigation.
Partly due to her being a minor and partly because her sample from December 25th 2021 was supposed to be examined within 10 days and it took 6 weeks and that in a legal sense could taint the sample. I am pretty sure in the court of law in the United States a sample like that would be thrown out.

Likely worst case scenario: No competitions for 12 months pending further investigation.

Unlikely worst case scenario: A 2 year suspension from competition. That would without question ruin her career for something she is not responsible for.

I wish we knew more but my main concern is for Kamilas mental health. Even if a miracle happens and she gets to skate in the lady's competition what can she have left in the tank after being thrown to the wolves world wide?

After the decision on the Olympics has been made and they go on to do further investigations investigations I hope we can look back and think of how this 15 year old minor athlete could have been handled better and better protected as she was supposed to be.

It would also be extra cruel to this 15 year old phenom to practice for 6 or 7 days thinking she may have a chance to skate in the ladies competition only to be told no the day of the SP when she could have been home with her family in Russia for almost a week protected by her parents and loved ones. I hope Kamila can recover.

I also hope we find out what happened all the way around but we may never.

Unless I am mistaken, the ruling on Monday will be only about the provisional suspension (is the suspension of the suspension upheld or overturned?) If the suspension of the suspension is overturned, we won't know the duration of the suspension.