Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has been disqualified from the 2022 Olympics. The verdict comes almost two years after the doping case caused turmoil at the Beijing Games.

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was disqualified from the 2022 Olympics on Monday, almost two years after her doping case caused turmoil at the Beijing Games.

The verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport means the Russians are set to be stripped of the gold medal in figure skating’s team event. The United States finished second and is set to be named Olympic champion instead.

The International Olympic Committee decided not to present any medals for the event in Beijing, where the 15-year-old Valieva was the star performer hours before her positive test for a banned heart medicine was revealed.

CAS said it upheld appeals led by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which asked the court to disqualify Valieva from the Olympics and ban her. A Russian sports tribunal had cleared her of any blame.

  • gcheliotis@lemmy.worldEnglish
    11·
    11 months ago

    The amount of anti-Russia comments on account of a known issue in competitive sports is disturbing. Does everything nowadays have to be about either “Russia bad” or “China bad”? Can’t it be about how exceptionally talented young people are pressured into doping because of ever increasing and often impossible to reach performance standards? I feel we have collectively lost a sense of measure in our response and have replaced a global outlook seeing global solutions to global problems with a nationalistic and sectarian us vs them attitude. And shudder to think that inside those countries it is exactly the same in reverse, possibly worse even.

        • NOT_RICK@lemmy.worldEnglish
          18·
          11 months ago

          Yeah, because her performance was factored into their win and thus their team win is illegitimate. Maybe if their skating federation took doping more seriously they’d still have the title. Horrible take.

          • chaogomu@kbin.social
            71·
            11 months ago

            The Russian skating federation does take doping seriously, they put a lot of effort into doing it and trying to hide it.

            They’ve even made participation in doping schemes mandatory for all Russian athletes.

  • brezel@kbin.social
    11216·
    11 months ago

    i will never understand why anyone lets russia compete in anything. they just always lie and cheat.

      • circuscritic@lemmy.caEnglish
        532·
        11 months ago

        Isn’t it more racist to act as if being Russian is a singular racial demographic?

        Russia is an empire, a decaying one, but still, it’s full of a wide variety of different racial groups that aren’t Slavic in origin.

        Also, when people criticize the actions of the American government, should we all accuse them of being racist towards… Americans?

    • Brad Boimler@startrek.websiteEnglish
      2936·
      11 months ago

      I mean the US and many other athletes have been caught before cheating this isn’t new. Canada the US, Sweden and, Spain just to name a few.

      • Ranvier@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        574·
        11 months ago

        This is not just some random athletes doing it on their own here and there. There was (still is? Who knows) a Russian government run program to allow for doping and help their athletes evade monitoring from anti doping authorities. Likely at least 580 postive tests across 30 different sports covered up. Team USA doesn’t even get government funding, let alone a government run doping conspiracy.

        https://www.bbc.com/sport/36823453

        • circuscritic@lemmy.caEnglish
          123·
          11 months ago

          Saying Team USA doesn’t get government funding is inaccurate.

          It’s not a holistic nationalized system like many other countries have, but that doesn’t mean Team USA athletes and athletic programs aren’t direct recipients of government financial support.

          For example:

          Team USA athletes have access to some of the best training facilities and coaching teams in the world, many of which get direct, or indirect government funding e.g. grants, subsidies, tax incentives, etc.

          On a side note, that’s a great graphic. I was going to mention the hole in the wall in my other comment, but I was too lazy to go grab a source. Kudos.

      • nymwit@lemm.eeEnglish
        531·
        11 months ago

        wasn’t the big deal with the Russians that it was at the level of the entire organization rather than done by limited specific individuals?

      • circuscritic@lemmy.caEnglish
        871·
        11 months ago

        The issue wasn’t athletes cheating individually. The issue was that Russia had a state sponsored doping program from top to bottom. That is significantly different than one off athletes, or one off coaches.

  • DerpyPoint@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    11 months ago

    I can’t imagine how the Canadian team is feeling with their medal chances on limbo over these two years

    • ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.worldEnglish
      72·
      11 months ago

      I strongly disagree. The Olympics are one of the best things humanity does. Are the people running it corrupt scum? Pretty much. But the Olympics are one of the only times the whole world comes together to at least attempt to do something positive.

      Also, have you ever watched the 49 kg (108 lb) women’s weightlifting competition? They look like ants lifting multiple times their body weight. It’s fucking awesome.

      • Aniki 🌱🌿@lemm.eeEnglish
        53·
        11 months ago

        I’d rather not reward the IOC with my patronage and eyeballs viewing the blatant consumerism and capitalistic nature of what should be a wonderful event. The IOC takes home billions and the athletes get nothing.

        Sorry, I vote with my wallet and my principles.

        • deranger@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          32·
          11 months ago

          I don’t think either of you is wrong. One of you is talking about the concept of the Olympics and the other the IOC.

            • deranger@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
              1·
              11 months ago

              Just because the organizers suck doesn’t mean the concept of a global competition that pushes the limits of what humans can achieve is a bad idea

          • kirkmulderch@lemmy.worldEnglish
            1·
            11 months ago

            IOC is shit because it’s run by humans, very good odds to be shitty indeed.

            Greed and egoism are viruses propagated by parents, family and society.

  • Kata1yst@kbin.social
    122·
    11 months ago

    Man, all these world class athletes from Russia have these horrible heart conditions at such young ages!

    Must be something in the water…

  • pjwestin@lemmy.worldEnglish
    15·
    11 months ago

    I feel really bad for this girl. Disqualifying her was the right move, but I highly doubt a fifteen-year-old representing Russia in the Olympics was given much choice as to whether she wanted to use performance enhancers or not. On top of that, she got four year ban from professional skating, which basically robbed her of her peak professional years. Her career was basically destroyed by something that was, best case senerio, a mistake she made at fifteen or, wost (and more likely) case, something that was forced on her by her trainers/managers.

  • YeetPics@mander.xyzEnglish
    201·
    11 months ago

    Wow this is the first time ever I’ve heard of Russia cheating on something because they couldn’t win from skill alone.

    /S

  • PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    881·
    11 months ago

    Man I feel bad for her. She was only 15 and probably didn’t have much of a say in the matter. It’s the right call, but still, I do feel for her.

      • girlfreddy@lemmy.caEnglish
        421·
        11 months ago

        She probably had no choice in the matter and trusted her coach and medical team to do the right thing.

        Kids in the Olympics is a double edged sword.

        • brbposting@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          11·
          11 months ago

          Indeed. Shoulda said something like:

          Right. Imagine too if she could’ve won even without the drugs she was supplied (by those who may have paid little mind to their potential long-term health impacts on her).

      • circuscritic@lemmy.caEnglish
        26·
        11 months ago

        This reminds me of when Trump called a race horse a junkie after winning the Kentucky Derby and being disqualified for a failed drug test. As if the horse was tying off and shooting up in the stable outhouse.

        While this child has more agency than a horse, it’s not like she had a choice in the matter.

        Is it right for her for be DQ’d? Yes, but she’s still a victim.

        Don’t lose sight of the fact that she’s was a child made to take drugs by her own government.

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldEnglish
          5·
          11 months ago

          This reminds me of when Trump called a race horse a junkie after winning the Kentucky Derby and being disqualified for a failed drug test.

          Wait…

          Trump literally compared himself to a racehorse yesterday to show how he has good genes (because his uncle was an MIT professor and apparently the brother of a winning racehorse is just as good as a winning racehorse).