2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

[Edward64]

A post-mortem.

Why can't the Olympics require doping tests for 100% athletes (let's say) 2-4 weeks before the competition and then immediately after if they are in Top-5. I think it's random sampling now?

I have to believe there's technology out there to provide results back in a timely manner (and if not, get the $ to build the labs). I guess the appeal process also needs to be streamlined but they can figure out that process. It's weird to me that they haven't figured a way to beat doping yet.

Kamila Valieva ban: US figure skaters awarded gold for 2022 Beijing Olympics after Russian skater disqualified | CNN

The United States Figure Skating team will receive a gold medal for their team event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, after Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was handed a four-year ban Monday over a long-running doping controversy.

Valieva, now 17, had led the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) to first place in the team event ahead of the US and Japan — before her doping test came back positive for performance-enhancing substance trimetazidine.

The ban is backdated to December 25, 2021, which is when the sample was collected. Valieva was only 15 at the time.

No medals had been awarded as a result of the doping controversy until the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to disqualify Valieva of “all competitive results” achieved since her positive test.

In a statement posted on its website on Tuesday, the International Skating Union (ISU) confirmed that Valieva’s results were disqualified in both the singles – where the teenager finished fourth – and team event.

The disqualification of her results was accompanied by a re-ranking of medal positions in the team event where the ROC fell to third, with the US and Japan moving up to first and second respectively. Canada remained in fourth place, one point behind the ROC’s recalculated results.

[CrimsonFox]

This is a stupid story. It's stupid it took so long but it's more stupid for the fact it was heart medicine

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Edward64

A post-mortem.

Why can't the Olympics require doping tests for 100% athletes (let's say) 2-4 weeks before the competition and then immediately after if they are in Top-5. I think it's random sampling now?

I have to believe there's technology out there to provide results back in a timely manner (and if not, get the $ to build the labs). I guess the appeal process also needs to be streamlined but they can figure out that process. It's weird to me that they haven't figured a way to beat doping yet.

Kamila Valieva ban: US figure skaters awarded gold for 2022 Beijing Olympics after Russian skater disqualified | CNN

I think the assumption is she was tested multiple times and was judged to be drug free right before and during the Olympics or we would have heard otherwise.

The test in question happened Christmas Day 2021 during the Russian Nationals. No one knew the results of that test until after the team competition was held and before the individual event. Then news broke that she tested positive. No one knows for sure why the test results were delayed at the lab for six weeks so they used the blanket excuse for everything from 2020-2022....COVID specifically Omicron. The Russian suspended her and then un-suspended her. Other countries appealed to CAS to stop her from competing but she was allowed to compete.

Here is where it gets tricky. Since she tested positive through her national organization, her national organization has to handle the appeal process. Also, because she was under 16 years old at the time, she has special rights under the world anti doping rules. There has to be an comprehensive investigation to see if she knowingly and intentionally took the banned substance or if she was forced to by her coaching staff, government officials etc. Once again, the Russians have to do the investigation. That is why CAS allowed her to compete in the individual event even after the positive test result news broke.

The Russians cleared her in 2023 saying she took it but not was not at fault. Everyone call BS and appealed the decision to CAS led to its ruling this week.

If she had tested positive at the Olympics or if she were 16+ at the time she tested positive, the process would have been shorter. I am not sure it would have stopped her from competing at the Olympics but she would have been suspended long before now.