Russian Skater Valieva Can Compete, But Medal Ceremony Will Not Be Held
2022-02-15
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1Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has been cleared to compete in the women's individual competition at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.
2The 15-year-old failed a drug test six weeks before the Olympics.
3Results from the test came back last week.
4The women's figure skating competition begins Tuesday and ends Thursday.
5Valieva is considered a gold-medal favorite in the event.
6If she does finish in the top three, however, Valieva will not get a medal ceremony in Beijing.
7Nor will any skater who finishes in the top three with her.
8The Court of Arbitration for Sport cleared Valieva to skate Monday afternoon Beijing time.
9A group of three judges ruled that Valieva does not need to be temporarily suspended from competition before a full investigation takes place.
10The court gave her a favorable decision in part because she is a minor, or a "protected person," and is subject to different rules from an adult athlete.
11"The panel considered that preventing the athlete to compete at the Olympic Games would cause her irreparable harm in the circumstances," CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb said.
12The International Olympic Committee said Monday afternoon that if Valieva finishes in the top three, there will be no medal ceremony during the Games.
13There also will be no ceremony for the team event won by Valieva and the Russian team a week ago.
14"It would not be appropriate to hold the medal ceremony," the IOC said.
15The decision not to award medals also affects the men's Olympic champion, Nathan Chen, and the rest of the American figure skating team.
16The United States finished second behind the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).
17They will leave Beijing unsure if they won silver or gold.
18If Valieva and the ROC do not get to keep their gold medal, Japan moves up to silver and Canada wins bronze.
19Shortly after the CAS ruling, Valieva was seen practicing as her trainer watched.
20She completed her program without a fall, drawing quiet cheers from the Russian media watching.
21Reaction around the world included support for the young skater as well as anger that Russian doping had once again damaged a sporting event.
22Athletes from Russia are competing in this Olympics as the ROC as a punishment for past doping.
23Medal winners from Russia do not see their national flag raised or hear their national song.
24In addition to Valieva being a minor, the CAS ruling noted issues of fairness, the fact that she tested clean in Beijing, and that there were "serious issues" with how long it took to get the results of her positive test.
25Valieva tested positive for the heart drug trimetazidine on December 25 at the Russian nationals.
26However, the result from a Swedish lab did not come until a week ago, after she helped the Russian Olympic Committee win the team gold.
27It is not clear why it took six weeks to get the results from the lab in Sweden.
28In a statement, the World Anti-Doping Agency suggested that Russia's anti-doping agency made a mistake by not telling the Swedish lab that Valieva's test needed to be completed ahead of the Olympics.
29RUSADA suspended Valieva last Tuesday after it received the results from the lab.
30The medal ceremony for the team event was then suspended because of the young skater's failed drug test.
31RUSADA lifted the ban a day later.
32The International Olympic Committee and other groups appealed, and an urgent hearing was held Sunday night.
33Valieva took part in the hearing over video.
34Athletes under 16 like Valieva have more rights under anti-doping rules.
35They are not always held responsible for taking banned substances.
36The focus of any future investigation will be on her trainers, doctors and other adults who are responsible for her health and safety.
37This ruling only concerned whether Valieva can keep skating before her case is completed.
38It did not deal with whether she and the Russian Olympic Committee can keep their first-place position in the team event.
39Those issues will be dealt with in a separate, longer-term investigation led by RUSADA.
40The World Anti-Doping Agency will have the right to appeal any ruling by RUSADA, and also said it wants to independently investigate Valieva's team.
41I'm Caty Weaver.
1Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has been cleared to compete in the women's individual competition at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. 2The 15-year-old failed a drug test six weeks before the Olympics. Results from the test came back last week. 3The women's figure skating competition begins Tuesday and ends Thursday. Valieva is considered a gold-medal favorite in the event. If she does finish in the top three, however, Valieva will not get a medal ceremony in Beijing. Nor will any skater who finishes in the top three with her. 4The Court of Arbitration for Sport cleared Valieva to skate Monday afternoon Beijing time. A group of three judges ruled that Valieva does not need to be temporarily suspended from competition before a full investigation takes place. 5The court gave her a favorable decision in part because she is a minor, or a "protected person," and is subject to different rules from an adult athlete. 6"The panel considered that preventing the athlete to compete at the Olympic Games would cause her irreparable harm in the circumstances," CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb said. 7The International Olympic Committee said Monday afternoon that if Valieva finishes in the top three, there will be no medal ceremony during the Games. There also will be no ceremony for the team event won by Valieva and the Russian team a week ago. 8"It would not be appropriate to hold the medal ceremony," the IOC said. 9The decision not to award medals also affects the men's Olympic champion, Nathan Chen, and the rest of the American figure skating team. The United States finished second behind the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). They will leave Beijing unsure if they won silver or gold. If Valieva and the ROC do not get to keep their gold medal, Japan moves up to silver and Canada wins bronze. 10Shortly after the CAS ruling, Valieva was seen practicing as her trainer watched. She completed her program without a fall, drawing quiet cheers from the Russian media watching. 11Reaction around the world included support for the young skater as well as anger that Russian doping had once again damaged a sporting event. Athletes from Russia are competing in this Olympics as the ROC as a punishment for past doping. Medal winners from Russia do not see their national flag raised or hear their national song. 12In addition to Valieva being a minor, the CAS ruling noted issues of fairness, the fact that she tested clean in Beijing, and that there were "serious issues" with how long it took to get the results of her positive test. 13Valieva tested positive for the heart drug trimetazidine on December 25 at the Russian nationals. However, the result from a Swedish lab did not come until a week ago, after she helped the Russian Olympic Committee win the team gold. 14It is not clear why it took six weeks to get the results from the lab in Sweden. In a statement, the World Anti-Doping Agency suggested that Russia's anti-doping agency made a mistake by not telling the Swedish lab that Valieva's test needed to be completed ahead of the Olympics. 15RUSADA suspended Valieva last Tuesday after it received the results from the lab. The medal ceremony for the team event was then suspended because of the young skater's failed drug test. 16RUSADA lifted the ban a day later. The International Olympic Committee and other groups appealed, and an urgent hearing was held Sunday night. Valieva took part in the hearing over video. 17Athletes under 16 like Valieva have more rights under anti-doping rules. They are not always held responsible for taking banned substances. The focus of any future investigation will be on her trainers, doctors and other adults who are responsible for her health and safety. 18This ruling only concerned whether Valieva can keep skating before her case is completed. It did not deal with whether she and the Russian Olympic Committee can keep their first-place position in the team event. 19Those issues will be dealt with in a separate, longer-term investigation led by RUSADA. 20The World Anti-Doping Agency will have the right to appeal any ruling by RUSADA, and also said it wants to independently investigate Valieva's team. 21I'm Caty Weaver. 22The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. 23Words in This Story 24athlete - n. a person who is trained in or good at sports, games, or exercises that require physical skill and strength 25circumstance - n. a condition or fact that affects a situation 26appropriate - adj. right or suited for some purpose or situation 27practice - v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it 28doping - n. the illegal use of a drug (such as a steroid) to improve an athlete's performance 29positive - adj. showing the presence of a particular germ, condition, or substance 30focus - n. a subject that is being discussed or studied : the subject on which people's attention is focused