Kamila Valieva: Anti-doping Case and Follow-ups | Page 49 | Golden Skate

Kamila Valieva: Anti-doping Case and Follow-ups

To state the facts chronologically, a sample from the athlete was collected under the testing authority and results management authority of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) on 25 December 2021 during the 2022 Russian Figure Skating Championships in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The WADA-accredited laboratory of Stockholm, Sweden, reported that the sample had returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) for the non-specified prohibited substance trimetazidine (classified as S4. Hormone and Metabolic Modulators according to the Prohibited List of the World Anti-Doping Code) on 8 February 2022.

I find it so strange that an European Laboratory needs almost 6 weeks to conduct a doping test, not even on my third world country does a medical exam takes so long to get its results.
 
Not directed to you personally, it's more about the phrasing used in the article but saying he was just asking Kamila a question is misrepresenting the situation. There are pictures of this happening. She was not at a press conference with a mic answering journalist's questions. She was literally just trying to leave the rink. She had her face completely wrapped up in a shirt and was hurrying trying to get away from everyone. She was CLEARLY trying to get away and wanted to be left alone. And this man shouted accusations at her while she was just trying to leave. He was, by the way, the only journalist out of the many present who was rude enough to do that, which is why he was singled out. Every other journalist had the common decency to recognise that, if the allegations were true, then this 15-year-old was very likely not to blame for any of this, and either offered her words of support or just stayed quiet. Everyone except that ONE guy who couldn't read the room.

I'm not trying to encourage sending death threats, but let's not deny that this guy was being an ass. He didn't just "ask a question", he was bullying a kid.
Would you please let us know where these pictures can be viewed? Thanks!
 
I don't think there's any question that she'll be removed, based on the reporting that's been done - with the obvious caveat that perhaps we don't know everything yet. Whether her fault or not... she tested positive for doping, so she's out. That's just the way things are. I cannot fathom that the IOC will allow her to compete. Again, provided the reporting is accurate.

My guess is that the "legal issues" being discussed hinge on whether her scores in the Team Event are disallowed, or if the entire Russian team is disqualified - and that's only a guess.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think the only medal result from the team event that should be removed is that of Valieva and Team Tutberidze. That way Team Tutberidze does not receive any financial benefit or bonus or accolade from that result/placement. I would also understand Valieva being stripped of her 2022 European Championship title and not having the opportunity to compete in the Olympic women’s event, as unfair as it may be to her individually, only because a stance of zero tolerance needs to be enforced by the IOC and by the ISU. Team Tutberidze again would not be allowed to profit from her European Championship or Olympic Championship victories as a result. If they wanted to go even further to punish that school/camp, then I could even understand them disqualifying any skater, such as Anna or Sasha, that Team Tutberidze could possibly profit or benefit from. Fly in Elizaveta Tuktamysheva to skate in the women’s event for Russia and any other 2 non-Tutberidze skaters. That way the brunt of the punishment falls on the irresponsible adults in that specific training camp. In gymnastics, coach Maggie Haney was suspended for 8 years for emotionally harassing her athletes; if she got 8 years for her misconduct, then Team Tutberidze deserves much more punishment for their many sins. Maybe a 20 year suspension for all the Team Tutberidze coaches and doctors is the answer. We need to say goodbye to all of them in the same way we said goodbye to the Karolyi camp in gymnastics.

The misconduct and failed test of that one school/camp should not dramatically shift the results of the entire team event for all of the other athletes given that they did not fail a doping test. Mishina/Galliamov, Kondratiuk and Sinitsina/Katsalapov all performed very well and should be able to retain their team gold medals with Team USA keeping silver and Team Japan keeping bronze. Team USA does not deserve the gold medal given the performances by Karen Chen in the SP&FS and Kneirim/Frazier in the FS. Team Canada certainly does not deserve the bronze medal given both performances by Roman Sadovsky. Team Russia deserves that team gold medal and I will be very upset if those innocent parties are stripped of a gold medal result that they worked extremely hard for and played fairly for at this event.

Are there other examples in Olympic history of an entire team or nation’s results being stripped because of the foul play of one athlete or one camp/school?
 
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In my country it is only mentioned that a skater named Kamila Valieva tested positive, they listen to it but they don't really care about the news. I think that only the fans are suffering with all this, I feel disconsolate but it will soon pass. Nothing darkens me to remember the moments of glory of Alina, Aliona, Sasha, Anna and Kami, all absolute gems of women's figure skating who really need nothing more than hard work and discipline.
 
well Irina Viner lived through the Alina kabaeva Irina tchachina scandal, Viner is already an icon and she's older than eteri
I'm not sure what you mean here. Serena Williams is a tennis legend here in the States. If I found out tomorrow that she had been using PEDs her entire career, it would break my heart. Maybe we shower these athletes with too much praise but, for me, they're an inspiration.
 
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Eteri has always been fascinating to me. Her students have always been great and her beauty goes far beyond the borders of Russia. This scandal could certainly damage her legendary status in the skating world. I truly hope she's not involved.
This is one of the cases when your reputation will be damaged no matter whether you are in fact guilty of anything. Your success is always the worst evidence against you. :shrug:
 
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think the only medal result from the team event that should be removed is that of Valieva and Team Tutberidze. That way Team Tutberidze does not receive any financial benefit or bonus or accolade from that result/placement. I would also understand Valieva being stripped of her 2022 European Championship title and not having the opportunity to compete in the Olympic women’s event, as unfair as it may be to her individually, only because a stance of zero tolerance needs to be enforced by the IOC and by the ISU. Team Tutberidze again would not be allowed to profit from her European Championship or Olympic Championship victories as a result.

The misconduct and failed test of that one school/camp should not dramatically shift the results of the entire team event for all of the other athletes given that they did not fail a doping test. Mishina/Galliamov, Kondratiuk and Sinitsina/Katsalapov all performed very well and should be able to retain their team gold medals with Team USA keeping silver and Team Japan keeping bronze. Team USA does not deserve the gold medal given the performances by Karen Chen in the SP&FS and Kneirim/Frazier in the FS. Team Canada certainly does not deserve the bronze medal given both performances by Roman Sadovsky. Team Russia deserves that team gold medal and I will be very upset if those innocent parties are stripped of a gold medal result that they worked extremely hard for and played fairly for at this event.

Are there other examples in Olympic history of an entire team or nation’s results being stripped because of the foul play of one athlete or one camp/school?
There are plenty of examples. Here's just one:

 
This is one of the cases when your reputation will be damaged no matter whether you are in fact guilty of anything. Your success is always the worst evidence against you. :shrug:
Sadly, this is true. No matter what happens from here on out, Kamila will be attached to this scandal for life.
 
There are plenty of examples. Here's just one:

Here's another:

 
Here's another:

Here's another:

I remember this event. What's sad to me is that the rest of the team lost not just their medals but, their reputations we're ruined because Tyson cheated.
 
90% chance that the medal will be stripped, 10% that they keep it.
At this point that is the least relevant, everything is already chaos.
Give the medal to USA, let them be happy thinking they are the best figure skaters in the world, let Russia be excluded from all ISU competitions so that other countries have chances to win. USA and everyone happy, so there is no longer an increase in the age limit. Levito at 15 is world champion and no one complains that a girl takes the world and Olympic titles.
 
I bet now Russia wishes they had let Anna skate that FS for the Team.
With how far ahead they are, could they have still won the gold with just the 10points from the women's SP taken away?
But while I was for the changes in the free, you can say this about every discipline, it was not just Kamila.
 
Its disheartening to see people advocating and being okay with Trusova and Shcherbakova being removed. Everything at this point says they have never had a positive test and they have been getting tested the last 3 years more than Valieva. If an athlete does not have a positive test they should be allowed to compete.
 
BTW because too many people "solved the mystery" already from their office in Nero Wolfe style, I think I will copy the story I described in the Russian women thread:

Just because some already want to point at Kamila and others pointing at Eteri "because it would not happen without her knowledge" (while so far there are hundreds of scenarios of what has really happened and will happen), let me tell you the story of what happened to our skater Hana Mašková at Europeans 1969. And I remind you I'm not saying thet to point my finger, it's just an example of a situation that can happen. During the Europeans Mašková was so nervous before her free skate that her mother gave her sedatives without the knowledge of her coach. It wasn't a legal problem, it wasn't a banned substance, at least that time, though the result was that Mašková became apathetic and it of course affected her performance.

Again, it's just to demonstrate one the of tons of possible cases of what happened, and to an adult skater already, not to state "it was that way".
 
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