Figure Skating Thread (Olympic Spoilers/Discussion starting at post #16)

[Doug1233]

Valieva

Unlikely it was her.

 

[irichluck21]

Unlikely it was her.

we know this but she still stated it…

 

[irichluck21]

Plus the drugs given were not comparable.
It was essentially Sudafed which is no longer banned AND Simona Amanar took the same amount, but because she was “bigger” it was not noticed in the blood test. The fact that the cold pill came off the banned list for 2004 says something and speaks more to Raducan’s innocence.

 

[Doug1233]

She said it as much as Otto Warmbier said he was sorry for committing treason against North Korea.

 

[Doug1233]

It was essentially Sudafed which is no longer banned AND Simona Amanar took the same amount, but because she was “bigger” it was not noticed in the blood test.

This is the devastating part about the doctor’s mistake.

I can only hope the FIG, at some point in the future, can go back in time and correct this nonsense injustice.

 

[arabiandoublefront]

It actually went back onto the banned list. I don’t know when off the top of my head.

eta: 2010 (source)

 

[MaryClare]

Kamila Valieva is a teenage girl from a minority ethnic and religious background who has grown up in the state sponsored elite sports programme of Russia. Since the age of 12, she has not only been the main breadwinner of the family, but her parents jobs are dependent upon the family being able to stay in the Moscow apartment provided to them to allow Kamila to train there.

Faced with the prospect of potentially missing out the Olympics and having your team, your country, and by extension your government’s entire world view stripped of Olympic gold, an official from the Russian IOC (believe me, this went to the top) tells you to say you might have taken your grandfather’s medication. You say it.

Perhaps we could think for a moment and not frame this through the luxury morals of middle aged, college educated westerners.

 

[rlayt]

I agree Doug. Malinin’s 4A was one of the prettiest things I’ve seen in skating in recent years. He’s exciting.

And this is coming up: https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2022...e-stream-schedule/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs

 

[Doug1233]

Perhaps we could think for a moment and not frame this through the luxury morals of middle aged, college educated westerners.

No-one said it was her idea. This comment was unnecessary.

 

[makam]

Yep. I’m pretty sure everyone thinks she is an extremely talented skater who was abused by a corrupt system. It sucks that they did this to her and she (maybe) has to pay the price.

 

[MaryClare]

@irichluck21 literally said exactly that. That she’d made up some story about her grandfather’s meds

 

[irichluck21]

Perhaps we could think for a moment and not frame this through the luxury morals of middle aged, college educated westerners.

This comment is uncalled for and gaslighting.

No one has ever blamed her for a product of the system she is from.
It however does not negate that she is complicit, whether forced to be or not.
The excuse came from her mouth, we all know it is bogus, but it was still in her words. The federation and her coaches should have not have had her speak, but it happened.

There was wrong doing here and Valieva is a victim 100%, however, there are consequences and as a result Valieva must suffer those consequences.

We aren’t talking about “luxury morals” here or opinions of "middle aged, college educated westerners here. It is straight up common sense. Unsure why you fail to recognize this.

Regardless of her age and whether she had any say or control in the matter, she was used by her coaches and federations and as a unfortunate result she will suffer do to their abuse.
Yes, she is a victim in this situation but so are the other skaters who played fair and were clean.

 

[Doug1233]

@irichluck21 literally said exactly that. That she’d made up some story about her grandfather’s meds

Again, no-one said it was her idea.

 

[irichluck21]

@irichluck21 literally said exactly that. That she’d made up some story about her grandfather’s meds

She absolutely made up an excuse that it was her grandfather’s medication.
It was clearly documented by multiple media outlets.

Russian skater Kamila Valieva blames grandfather's medication for drug test result

The skater tested positive for a banned substance on Dec. 25, several weeks before the Olympics began.

www.today.com

'Serious questions’ raised about Kamila Valieva's ‘grandfather’ excuse - Yahoo Sports

Kamila Valieva's 'grandfather' explanation is a 'long shot,' according to USA's anti-doping chief.

sports.yahoo.com

Kamila Valieva Argues Contamination With Grandfather’s Heart Drug Caused Failed Test, IOC Says

Valieva is a strong contender for gold in Tuesday’s women’s figure skating singles.

www.forbes.com

https://www.npr.org/2022/02/15/1081008770/what-is-trimetazidine-the-drug-found-in-russian-skater-kamila-valievas-system

It is clear that a story was fabricated in an attempt to convince the Court of Arbitration to allow her to compete.
I am sure it was the lawyers that were able to put this together for her but they also needed some insight on the family to be able to use the excuse that grandfather has medication for his heart. Whether this information came from Valieva or her family members we don’t know.

 

[Doug1233]

I think your argument, though, is that Valieva herself didn’t concoct this story. It was concocted by the adults around her and she was led by them to go along with the story that they gave her to tell.

 

[tsarinajen]

Lots of fresh dialogue in this, I thought something had happened (decision made).

I still think her protected person status is going to come in to play here. Russia won’t strip her of her national title — though that would give Trusova her first major senior title. A six week ban loses the European title… and she keeps her Olympic gold. And honestly Russia has been banned essentially a year already, are they really going to add another year? I don’t see it.

All that aside, Valieva will always compete under a cloud now… no matter how many more titles she picks up along the way.

 

[Denn]

I do see why @MaryClare is pointing out that @irichluck21’s said she made up the story herself. That is literally what he said and how I read his post the first time, too. Either he changed his mind or phrased it incorrectly — although, neither of those is a reason to get annoyed, in my opinion.

 

[irichluck21]

I do see why @MaryClare is pointing out that @irichluck21’s said she made up the story herself. That is literally what he said and how I read his post the first time, too. Either he changed his mind or phrased it incorrectly — although, neither of those is a reason to get annoyed, in my opinion.

I said what I said, she gave up a made up story/excuse in her interviews. I doubt a 15 year old would have the where with all to make this excuse up on the spot. She was definitely coached, however, when asked she came up with this made up story, which we all know is false. I never said she made up the story herself, I said she “made up some excuse about grandad’s medicine”. Which is entirely 100% fact.

 

[Passion]

I never said she made up the story herself, I said she “made up some excuse about grandad’s medicine”.

These two things mean the exact same thing. The excuse about grandad’s medicine… is the story.

 

[Denn]

I said she “made up some excuse about grandad’s medicine”. Which is entirely 100% fact.

Sorry, but that wording still means more than you intended. You can say “she GAVE/OFFERED/SPOUTED/CAME OUT WITH some excuse about grandad’s medicine”; but “made up” means the creation was hers.