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

[JDB]

Mostly his comments on challenges to participation and ice time for figure skating. The state of low level and juvenile figure skating doesn’t get much coverage from American media.

 

[MaryClare]

I think it’s an issue in all countries where ice hockey is a big sport. Figure skating struggles for both ice time and male participants.

In Russia it’s not so bad as we have public rinks like public pools. So sports rinks are not also having to share with recreation skaters. Everyone learns to skate here, like swimming or riding a bike. But the boys want to do hockey or bandy.

Which is why we have no male skaters, yet female skaters is one of our major exports.

 

[RedBirdie]

WADA seeks four-year ban for Valieva after lodging CAS appeal

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has announced that it is seeking to ban Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva for a four-year period after lodging an appeal against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

WADA has said it also wants to scrub off her results from last year’s Winter Olympics where Valieva was part of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) team that won team gold.

Should WADA succeed in its appeal, Valieva and the rest of her ROC team will be stripped of the title and the United States will be promoted to gold-medal position.

Valieva is also facing being suspended from competition, with WADA seeking to impose a four-year ban from December 25 2021 when she tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.

The RUSADA announced last month that Valieva, who claimed the positive test was the result of a mix-up with her grandfather’s heart medication, had been found not guilty by its independent Anti-Disciplinary Committee.

It ruled that there was “no fault or negligence” on the part of Valieva and her only punishment should be disqualification from the Russian Championships.

WADA said that it considered this ruling to be “wrong under the terms of the World Anti-Doping Code” and decided to “exercise its right” to lodge an appeal with CAS.

 

[tsarinajen]

Another source says:

“The appeal was filed as no decision was issued by RUSADA within the time limit set by WADA,” the statement continued, adding that “in accordance with the Code of Sports-related Arbitration, the arbitration rules governing CAS procedures, the parties will first exchange written submissions and participate in the appointment of the 3-member Panel of arbitrators that will decide the matter.”

“WADA will nominate one member of the Panel, and RUSADA and the Athlete will jointly nominate another. The third member, the President of the Panel, will be appointed by the President of the CAS Appeals Division, or her deputy,” the Swiss-based court added in its statement without specifying the deadline of the possible hearings.

https://tass.com/sport/1536357/amp

 

[Doug1233]

What is Russia’s explanation for this, again? What are the reasons for not giving her a 4 year ban (other than her age which, to me, is irrelevant).

 

[MaryClare]

Age and lack of intent.

Age has to be taken into account. No civilised country would try a 15 year old as an adult. Even in Russia, no adult athlete would be told to say they’d taken a family member’s medicine accidentally. You cannot separate her young age from the chain of events in this scenario.

 

[JDB]

RUSADA’s explanation is that Valieva accidentally consumed her grandfather’s heart medication through a total mishap. So they cleared her of wrongdoing and only nullified her nationals result.

 

[tsarinajen]

Doug, I believe the other argument is four years is unreasonable and not in line with other first time offenders— someone correct me if I’ve got that wrong. Her age, and her protected person status, have to factor in. It’s why it is in place and why the FSU is dumping the 15 year olds for next time.

 

[makam]

4 years seems a bit much but 1 event that RUSADA did was too little. A year, maybe 2. Hell, a year off, the year after the olympics might be a damn vacation. Lack of intent (if we are going with the story that she took her grandfather’s heart medication that just so happens to also have doping implications) should definitely count because holy carp, can you imagine if all you have to do to win is dope up your competitor’s oatmeal in the Olympic cafeteria? Jeff Gillooly is kicking himself.

I’m sure I’ve said it before but, the medication thing though…wow. They are sticking with that story? I know she was only 15 but isn’t checking your medication (and what meds was she on that looked like grampa’s heard meds?) something anyone who is or wants to be a professional athlete is super careful about? If my Olympic dreams were close to realization, I’d be extra super vigilant.

 

[Rich]

It should be a no tolerance to drugs stance. The punishment should be bad enough so people wont cheat.

 

[RedBirdie]

The problem the people who actually cheat, the people who made a child do this and then forced her to lie about it on the international stage, aren’t going to be punished in the least. I’m so conflicted about this case. Should Valieva been allowed to compete in Beijing? No. Did she do this on her own? Almost certainly not.

But what does it matter to Eteri if Valieva gets caught? She has another five skaters, likely equally doped, waiting in the wings, and will discard them in a year or two for a new crop of prepubescent jumping beans. But its the athletes that get suspended, lose their livelihood. Eteri and the machinery that supports her gets to continue on without sanction.

 

[ucrgirl]

I agree that the coaches/doctors should bear the harshest penalty. But Valieva should face a 1-2 year penalty. (I don’t buy the mistakenly took consumed grandpa’s medication story. I’m not sure she even would have been in the same city as her grandfather right before a championship.)

Really I think the Russian Figure skating federation should be banned for a cycle. This is the third Olympics in a row that a Russian figure skater has failed a drug test. If Russia was serious about competing clean they would have run down that test from Nationals and made certain that the results were okay before the competition. The Skating Lesson did an interview with the head of USADA and that guy said that the US policy is that we don’t send people to the Olympics without knowing the results of all of their in-competition testing. RUSADA is a joke.

 

[Rich]

Maybe a 10 year ban on the coaches and parents should pay a monetary fine. Parents should be responsible for their own children. In terms of Valieva, it is almost like she got a few years ban with the war anyway.

 

[Doug1233]

Personally, I don’t think the age of the athlete should result in a lesser ban. Russia (and other countries that engage in systematic doping) need to understand that there are consequences. For Russia to argue “well we doped her up but because we doped a child it should be a lesser punishment”, and to give credence to that argument, is outrageous.

 

[JDB]

Worlds is under way. I caught some of the women’s SP. I liked Mai Mihara’s program.

Also I wonder if lasers will shoot out of Benoit Richaud’s eyes if he takes off his sunglasses.

 

[arabiandoublefront]

I like Mai Mihara and Isabeau Levito as far as the top four go. It sounds like Loena Hendrickx was overscored, as usual. I missed her mistake.

 

[JDB]

If you’re willing to pay five dollars, Peacock oh so graciously offers a two day window to watch replays.

 

[KristyJ]

Probably, re: the lazers

 

[MaryClare]

Davis and Smolkin have switched to Georgia.

 

[JDB]

I’ve started paying attention to Adelina Sotnikova because I am fascinated by her behavior over the past decade. The interview video was taken down, but (according to redditors) she wasn’t asked a leading question regarding doping. She just randomly brought up possible evidence of doping.

https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1138807/ksoc-wants-ioc-investigation-sotnikova