Kamila Valieva: Anti-doping Case and Follow-ups

[Mathman]

The worst thing (for cycling) about the Lance Armstrong case is that when everything came out, we learned that everybody in cycling is on endurance-enhancing drugs. It is impossible to do the mountain legs of the Tour de France without them, and this has been the case for decades.

I don't know whether or not sports fans in general completely lost their faith and their interest in cycling over the revelation. The same suspicion hangs over the heads of track and field athletes. In a way, it's just common sense. If you take performance enhancing drugs your performance will be enhanced -- duh -- and you will win. If you don't take performance enhancing drugs than you will lose to the athletes who do.

 

[Baron Vladimir]

And my post was a reply to why the they didn´t analyze the samples before. They couldn´t have given information before when the tests wasn´t analyzed before. It´s the explanation they have given that there was a delay because a lot of the lab workers had covid/have been in isolation so they are not up to normal capacity. For some reason people don´t believe this to be a good explanation but given the covid situation in Sweden it´s not unlikely. There shouldn´t really be a problem for them to give evidence about this if people have doubts. Believing the opposite would imply they had some sort of hidden agenda which is very unlikely.

It is a valid explanation, but we can't blame COVID for everything. My logic tells me that there are priorities - Olympics which happens every 4 years comparing to COVID tests which happen everyday regularly. Of course that athletes doping tests who compete at OLY should be prioritize and if results came earlier as they should everything would be different. As i said, there wouldn't be such a scandal at all.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Now that I think back I guess we now know why ROC was taking so long to announce Valieva as the SP skater. I was like "Umm everyone knows it's going to be her, and even if it isn't, Anna or Sasha could still get the job done... why the delay?" This certainly wasn't a reason that had crossed my mind.

 

[liv]

It's not that covid tests took priority... it's that the staff were sick with covid so staffing levels were low.

And also, while tests for Olympic athletes are a big priority, so are tests for someone who might have cancer or whatever other testing that lab was doing.

 

[Ziotic]

There would not be a scandal at Olympics at this exact point of time. Who would care if some athlete didn't pass a test, if he/she/they are not competing at all. As Calallang/Johnson for example. And if you can't read or understand my point, don't reply to me.

I’m sorry but in the FS world, Valieva not competing at the Oly would be a scandal.

We likely would have got told she had Covid rather then failed a drug test.

 

[Magill]

It is a valid explanation, but we can't blame COVID for everything. My logic tells me that there are priorities - Olympics which happens every 4 years comparing to COVID tests which happen everyday regularly. Of course that athletes tests who compete at OLY should be prioritize.

Of course, any tests related to human health, life and death are more important than any .... Games, even those spelled with a capital G... and as such should always, always be given priority.... No question about that.

 

[Baron Vladimir]

Of course, any tests related to human health, life and death are more important than any .... Games, even those spelled with a capital G... and as such should always, always be given priority.... No question about that.

Well how then her tests from Europeans WADA, or whoever was doing them, came on time? If they didn't let RUSSADA doing their own analyses which is understandable, WADA should at least informs laboratories who are doing the results of the tests to do it like they do it. And if those results came in right time, maybe she shouldn't be allowed to compete at Europeans in first place, and Olympics may be a totally different story for some very different skater.

 

[Amer]

The worst thing (for cycling) about the Lance Armstrong case is that when everything came out, we found out that everybody in cycling is on endurance-enhancing drugs. It is impossible to do the mountain legs of the Tour de France without them, and this has been the case for decades.

I don't know whether or not sports fans in general completely lost their faith and their interest in cycling over the revelation. The same suspicion hangs over the heads of track and field athletes. In a way, it's just common sense. If you take performance enhancing drugs your performance will be enhanced -- duh -- and you will win. If you don't take performance enhancing drugs than you will lose to the athletes who do.

That is why I’m never impressed with records being broken (especially in something like track/field or swimming; especially during the Olympics). The human body can only do so much just with training and diet alone. I get flack from people when I say that the Olympics is one big druggie convention but that’s how I feel.
I realize that I’m veering away from the Valieva topic but I often question why I continue to follow certain sports.
Maybe I’m overreacting a bit but this drug enhancement thing in sports gets really old (especially when it concerns a freakin’ 15 year old!!!)
People are greedy. That’s the bottom line.
I’m so not impressed with your country’s medal count.

 

[skatedreamer]

I'm seeing a double standard in Russia where "a plot" by 3 14 year old's to simulate blowing up a building in Minecraft is meant with pre-trial detention, trial and lengthy criminal sentences, while figure skating princesses can't be asked questions by reporters. (incidentally I think neither case is the proper way to treat children.)

re: double standard, I basically agree with you.

Except that asking a 15-year old to face a room full of reporters all shouting questions at her seems way above and beyond. That's not easy under the best of circumstances but this situation would be tough enough even for the thickest-skinned adult, let alone a kid like this. I mean, this isn't a fun event like a presser after you win the OGM. This is about doping/cheating. And some of these reporters seem to be acting as judge, jury, & executioner all in one.

IMO, it's Eteri, the ROC, and especially RUSADA who should be facing reporters. Not Kamila. If she's cleared for the singles event, Russia will be expecting her to skate -- and win. And if she wins, the press will probably make her life hell all over again.

 

[silveruskate]

Sun Yang's first ban he was banned only for 3 months. I'm surprised how this happened for him, does anybody know the grounds? Maria Sharapova was banned for 15 months.

Either some sort of justification is accepted so then no ban. Or there is a ban but it depends on how long. A 6 week ban would expire 4th February and not impact the Olympics. On the other hand it can be 6+ months.

 

[Magill]

Well how then her tests from Europeans WADA was doing came on time?

I was only commenting on your general remark upon the priority that should supposedly be given to the OG-related tests over any "ordinary" medicinal tests - which I find totally and deeply unacceptable. No change of subject can change that,.

 

[*~RussianBleux~*]

No way this will happen, don't lose energy over people saying that.

I'm one of those that firmly believes that they have been fed the same medications as Kamila, if it turns out to have been given to her by the coaches and not her mom or some kind of "contamination" or any other last straws people are understandably clinging to. But under no circumstances can Anna and Sasha be excluded from anything, they have never had a positive test as you say. No positive test, no issue. They deserve to compete (as did Kamila before this was done to her) and they will.

I’m also skeptical of the entire school at this point, and will probably never be able to accept any of their victories without skepticism ever again (though I will still appreciate the young athletes and their performances), and I absolutely agree that you cannot disqualify any skaters without evidence.

Even if you could argue some kind of sanction against the coaching staff that would impact the athletes, there is no way we will have the evidence to support that in 4 days time.

 

[Jontor]

And my post was a reply to why the they didn´t analyze the samples before. They couldn´t have given information before when the tests wasn´t analyzed before. It´s the explanation they have given that there was a delay because a lot of the lab workers had covid/have been in isolation so they are not up to normal capacity. For some reason people don´t believe this to be a good explanation but given the covid situation in Sweden it´s not unlikely. There shouldn´t really be a problem for them to give evidence about this if people have doubts. Believing the opposite would imply they had some sort of hidden agenda which is very unlikely.

Yes of course the delay is because of covid. But Sweden's covid strategy has nothing to do with it. As I said before a lot of healthy people were home from work in January because they had been in contact with a suspected covid person. Like any other country Sweden didn't escape this wave 3 we had starting december. We had 900.000 new cases in dec/jan. Compare that to Norway who had 500.000 new cases with half the population. In a weird way, we can say that the restrictions worked against us in this case, as a lot of healthy people couldn't go to work.

That said, I think it is unforgivable from Sweden's side to delay this that long. Wada has a 20 days limit working process from sample to results, and Rusada works under the same principle. Sweden should have flagged that they couldn't deliver in time because they were short of staff. I expect an explanation from Sweden.

 

[Baron Vladimir]

I’m sorry but in the FS world, Valieva not competing at the Oly would be a scandal.

We likely would have got told she had Covid rather then failed a drug test.

Why it would be a scandal? Some bigger names in the sport failed some of the tests and didn't compete 3 or 6 months or a year. Now i'm talking about that kind of a substance they found in Kamila sample, I'm not talking about the ones who were on steroids and banned for a very long time. I mean, Michael Phelps was positive on marijuana and didn't compete 3 months, so what?

 

[Greengemmonster]

My personal opinion only:

If Kamila is allowed to compete and somehow miraculously wins the gold, I will cheer her on with all my heart and declare it was well deserved. Little girl has been through the wringer and any advantage gained from being dosed would have been taken away by the chronic harassment and stress she's going through now.

However there is nothing I want more than a full investigation of the team of adults that are supposed to protect her. She's been the lamb to the slaughter in all of this when those adults haven't been touched.

I wonder how the working relationship will continue after this. I really do.

 

[norwegianfairytale]

It is a valid explanation, but we can't blame COVID for everything. My logic tells me that there are priorities - Olympics which happens every 4 years comparing to COVID tests which happen everyday regularly. Of course that athletes doping tests who compete at OLY should be prioritize and if results came earlier as they should everything would be different. As i said, there wouldn't be such a scandal at all.

I see, then I understand what you mean. I guess like other say here that other test like cancer is up in priority if the same lab do them. Some people still need their PCR-test back quick for paperwork, if they need it for travel for example.

As for the Europeans samples I don´t think Sweden analyzed them. I guess they had them done in Tallinn.

 

[macy]

I am so, so sad for her. She doesn't deserve this. This 15 year old child is basically facing this on her own...her coaching team let her down, her parents aren't there, she is essentially alone at the biggest sporting event of her life in a different country amidst a pandemic. No wonder she is crumbling in practice. She has no clue how to deal with this and there's nobody there to support her properly.

Her entire career will now be different because of this, no matter if it was an accident or whoever was at fault...no matter the situation. in the end Kamila will be the one to suffer the consequences and this is what she will be remembered for. And I don't doubt for a second her team will throw her under the bus the first chance they get to remove the responsibility from themselves.

Things at TT will not be the same after this either, even if their methods don't change I have a strong feeling who trains there will.

 

[TontoK]

The worst thing (for cycling) about the Lance Armstrong case is that when everything came out, we found out that everybody in cycling is on endurance-enhancing drugs. It is impossible to do the mountain legs of the Tour de France without them, and this has been the case for decades.

An addendum: I think the worst thing was that the American government partially funded that whole episode.

Cash is fungeable, so one could make the argument that USPS took food out of the mouths of children to offset the costs of that cycling team's doping.

Whenever someone mentions government funding of sports programs, I remember this experiment.

 

[*~RussianBleux~*]

So Tuktamysheva fights until the very end, receiving a resounding standing ovation at her national championships for her Olympic bid performance, and loses a probable Olympic medal due to Sweden’s incompetence. Nice.

 

[chuckm]

There would not be a scandal at Olympics at this exact point of time. Who would care if some athlete didn't pass a test, if he/she/they are not competing at all. As Calallang/Johnson for example. And if you can't read or understand my point, don't reply to me.

Calalang / Johnson were banned from competing at Worlds 2021, and the banned substance turned out to be in her eyelash serum. She was cleared 8 months later. By the same token, Kamila should be excluded from the Olympic Women's competition pending final disposition of the matter.