Russian figure skater has positive drug test, delay of Olympic team medals ceremony | USA TODAY

The Olympic medal ceremony for team figure skating event was scheduled for Tuesday night, but delayed due to a positive drug test by a Russian skater.

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#WinterOlympics #Beijing2022 #ROC #Russia #Figure Skating

71 comments

  1. Funny how sources say they can’t name the alleged Russian skater who tested positive because it’s a minor… and there’s only one minor on the Russian skating team who skated the Team Event. This was very likely decisions made by the adults/coaches/doctors and the athlete was just following instructions.

    1. @Raspberry Sherbet It is a drug that is banned because it improves endurance… was any other skater from any other country allowed to take it? No.. so this is what makes it an unfair advantage…

    2. @Donny Slader Would a 15 year old even know the drug’s name? Would a 15 year old able to freely change a coach on her own?

    3. WADA rules state that minors don’t get named publicly. The drug the Russian chick took is called TMZ, which is banned but not steroids. It was also supposedly 2 months ago, not now. If true, I hope they let her slide. If she tested positive now, then DQ her.

  2. If they pause the competition until this skater comes back that’s the direct slap in the face to all those athletes that tested positive and we’re not and could not compete because they had a positive covid test they didn’t stop any of those events for those people it’s just what can you expect genocide games

  3. No. Not her… please. That was such an amazing performance. Fact is, that was not a perfect one. We can see she was nervous during the show. How could an illegal drug de-enhance you.

  4. if valieva tested positive on her drug test, what about the other two teenage girls who are also under the same coach? those three were slated to take the podium, now it’s all up in the air

    1. I don’t know what to think, BUT…. I found it VERY strange that they did not swap out Kamila for Sasha or Ann in the FS of the team event. It seemed super odd to not give your most likely medalist a break when ROC virtually sealed up the gold medal after the short programs. We will see.

  5. It’s Kamila Valieva and she tested positive for a performance enhancing drug that’s been illegal for many years in world sports.

    1. But didn’t thye report it was a substance that was not performance enhancing? Where did you get this info? (I’m genuinely curious, just asking)

    2. @Fátima Garcia This was published by the NIH: “trimetazidine… a substance prohibited in competition, is classified in the S6b Specified Stimulant Group. TMZ can be used by athletes to improve physical efficiency, especially in the case of endurance sports. ” — It’s been on the banned drugs list for years in world sports because it is classified as a stimulant.

    3. Trimetazidine is a banned substance that helps elevate athlete’s ability to retain and Osborn oxygen in extreme condition; Chinese swimmer Sun Yang tested positive for it and was banned for 4 years

    4. We don’t know that for sure yet. At the very least give the poor girl the benefit of doubt. She has worked her whole life for this it would be a tragedy for her if she was not able to compete.

  6. I don’t care what name they use what song they play or what flag they use! Cheaters should be banned from competition! But, it’s all about the money! It is a shame that this was done to a 15 year old child!

  7. Wow it’s almost like the ROC and Russia are the same team with the same leadership…eye roll
    Still feels so wrong to punish a young athlete for something that was almost certainly not her fault.

    1. Since everyone could say that the international doping agency cannot take care of that everyone is responsible for the substances in his/her body. What would you say to the athletes of east Germany they also didn’t know

    2. @Donny Slader Sometimes the athletes don’t even know they’re taking medication. It could be slipped into their water, or their coaches could say it’s x drug when really it’s y drug. It’s the coach’s fault, not the athlete

    3. @Anna Hyrtl Athletes in East Germany were not given the choice nor the knowledge that they were given performance enhancing drugs. Many of them died as a consequence. The doping scandals have continued in many sports. It is a horrid thing to need to win at a sport at any cost,the win became an obsession, not an accomplishment. Doping a minor is abuse, horrid by itself.

    4. @Juki Hiw Since the only way to find performance enhancing substances is to test the athlete how do you propose finding out that that act has occurred, the trainer sure won’t confess. The evidence then points to the trainer and his/her reputation is brought under scrutiny.

    1. @Donny Slader these kids are horribly abused by their coaches. she was most likely scared of what would happen if she were to leave her coach

    2. @Donny Slader she is 15. At that age its still probably her parents who decide who she scates with as she’s a minor. Doping was probably also not her idea but since her test was positive she should be withdrow form the competition

    3. Why blame the coaches? I know she is 15 but she has parents. And she is part responsible. Have you been to high schools?, Even in middle schools they are doing drugs

  8. If Kamila tested positive, they need to double-check the other girls and skaters who work with Tutberidze. It’s unlikely only one girl would be doping, even if she was the only one who tested positive. There is definitely a lot more going on.

    1. @Leif Hafstrom She has been doing complicated jumps in competitions since the age of 5, seriously, it’s all on youtube if you just look. Ru going to claim now that she has been on an alien drug cocktail since birth just because your favorites cant come close? If you’ve ever lived in the US then you know that figure skating is a very uncommon sport here and it’s very hard to find a decent coach/team. Most kids who skate in the US never even touched the ice before 5 or 6 yrs, while Russians like Valieva are already in competitions and doing difficult jumps/spins by that time.

    2. @Shortgiraffe I am a US figure Skating Coach, you don’t need to tell me what goes on in rinks, lol. Yeah, I have put many young kids in competitions too, there is even a video of my YT page of me coaching a 6 year old similar jumps. There are tons of talented athletes from many different countries that are able to replicate what she did then, but aren’t at the highest level, and that is the real issue.

    3. @Leif Hafstrom You only have one video on your YT, of a fully developed young woman, not a 6 yr old, performing simple choreo for 30s. I have no idea what you’re talking about.

    4. the other 2 girls have not compete in women single yet, once women single begins they will be drug test, and we’ll find out then if they are clean.

  9. So, Russia is obviously ROCking Olympics again 😢 Will it ever end? Is it naive to still hope for a clean sport?

  10. I stopped paying attention to Russians Olympic wins because of how many times they’ve been tested positive for drugs.

    1. The USA and The Western world The Kings of doping! John McEnroe ( horsehormone user) Lance Armstrong Ben Johnson Jaap Stam Edgar Davids Marion Jones Justin Gatlin Tyler Hamilton Alex Rodriguez Barry Bonds Jose Canseco Mark McGwire Randy Barnes Terese Johaug Jeannie Longo Marco Pantani Lindford Christie And so on! The Doping USA and The Doping Western world started this Doping drugs use! The our Finnish long distance running olympic champions used Pervitin strong stimulant amfetamin in 1930s!! The blood Doping was The first Time used by The West Germans Football soccer players in 1954! Why WE ARE TESTING? BECAUSE THE WESTERN WORLD DOPING! The British cyclist Doper Simpson died an amfetamin overdose when he was riding Tour de France in 1967! AFTER THAT THEY STARTED TO DO DRUG TEST! The Western world do love Their DOPERS! Marco Pantani The Doper is The most famous person in Italy! 93% of The people knew this Doper Marco Pantani!! And The White western world DOPING Kings The Pro cyclists claiming we Are The Best Athletes in The world! The Doping Pro cyclists we Are white and We Are better than The long distance runners and The swimmers and The Cross country skiers! The Truth is that NO Science based facts show that Doping Kings White Pro cyclists are The Best! THE USA AND THE WESTERN WORLD WANTS THE WHITE ‘ARYAN’ ICE QUEEN TO WIN LADIES FIGURE SKATING OLYMPIC GOLD! The USA and The western world do Not want to see THE ‘ BLACK SKIN’ RUSSIAN TO WIN LADIES FIGURE SKATING OLYMPIC GOLD! The USA wants THE NEGRO LEAGUE BACK!. Aleksandra Trusova=Afro Russian! Larry Nasser raped McKayla Maroney Simone Biles! The USA.try. to trash rape Scherbakova Trusova Valieva! Russia never allow The USA trash rape Their HOLY SKATERS!! HARMAGEDON ( ARMAGEDDON) Will start after winter olympics The Russian figure skaters Scherbakova Trusova Valieva will win gold Silver bronze! The Beast mystery Babylon USA Will Be crazy Mad and angry! IT Will start HARMAGEDON ( ARMAGEDDON) The Final war Will start because The USA Try to force The people of The world to worship THE GOAT Tom Brady! 7 billion people do not know The GOAT Tom Brady! 95% of The people of The world do Not know The GOAT Tom Brady! 7 billion people never Will worship THE GOAT Tom Brady! The USA Will fail because NO-ONE Will worship THE GOAT!!.THE BEAST MYSTERY BABYLON USA WORSHIPS THE GOAT!! 7 billion PEOPLE WILL SAY NO WE DO NOT WORSHIP THE GOAT!!

  11. Aside from this incident, ioc need to give a list of those who tested positive but exempted. To be fair and transparent

    1. The person who tested positive is a minor. That’s why the name hasn’t been released but you can figure out who it is.

  12. If it’s Kamila I’m not surprised. From what I’ve learned, most of the Russian female frontrunners from the past few years (specifically under Tutberidze) have been victims of an abusive training process that breaks them mentally and physically until they have to end their competitive careers before they’re 21, some before they’re 18. They’re malnourished, gaslit, and pushed into unhealthy training practices that result in multiple injuries (one skater according to her mother couldn’t even bend her back after her training) and serious mental health issues including eating disorders. They’re not treated like people; they’re treated like stepping stones to their superiors’ success, and when they can no longer perform up to standard, they’re tossed out like garbage only to be replaced by the next young victim of the cycle. These degenerates will do anything to ensure their female skaters keep them on top, and I don’t doubt for a second that drugs would be an option to ensure victory. The whole system is messed up and for these girls’ sake the Russians deserve to be highly penalized for it instead of rewarded. It’s literal child abuse

    1. @Ольга lol you can lie to yourself all you want, but the Russian girls were obviously cheating and now they got caught cheating.

      We don’t hold ANY ill will toward the skater, that is what you don’t understand. I actually LOVE those skaters, and think they are brilliant, but that doesn’t mean that their coach and/or federation wasn’t cheating on their behalf.

      The fans want good lives for the skaters, they don’t want them to have to endure abuse, manipulation and health risks in order to get the adoration they deserve. Eterei violated that line.

    2. @Leif Hafstrom Are there any REAL proofs of your words? Or the logic is “they are able to do something others can’t, so it can’t be just hard work, determination, and hours of practice there should be doping or abuse or something criminal involved’?

      You said “they were caught” who ‘they”? There is now information only about Valieva and only at this exact moment just before her individual performance and after Russia took gold in the team event, what a strange coincidence! Given the fact that it is impossible now to beat Valieva even for other Russian girls, let alone females from other countries.

      Don’t you think that if Eteri’s girls really had been on doping for all these YEARS they wouldn’t be caught years early? Why didn’t that happen before? Why these officials didn’t uncover this information after or before Valieva won her Euro title or at least before the team event so Russia could replace her? There are way too many coincidences for me in this story.

    3. @Ольга There is literally a skater who is competing for the Ukraine who was part of Eterei’s camp that will say as much. Skater who have gone from Russia to other countries to compete have similarly backed it up. You are being naive at this point, especially when you consider many sports have had doping scandals go on LONG before the news broke.

      Well, the news broke on Eterei now, what was obvious has now been exposed.

    4. @Leif Hafstrom can you name these skaters you just mentioned? Because I live in Russia and I’ve never heard about any of them.

  13. Due to doping violations, Russia has been stripped of 51 Olympic medals – the most of any country, four times the number of the runner-up, and more than a third of the global total.

  14. This is cheating – plain and simple! This is unfair to all the other athletes who are competing within the rules and regulations. Even if it’s an underage competitor who is ‘protected’ they need to be held accountable also the coaches.

    1. Actually it isn’t. The drug in question is commonly used to treat heart related issues and anxiety. And the record is a 2 months old record, meaning she was not in fact dosed up for competition. It is only a technicality because competing under ROC is Russia under probation so the athletes from ROC are not supposed to have any incidents of positives. We don’t know the full context of why she took the drug and why it wasn’t detected. It’s likely that even the drug has a technicality issue, such as the drug isn’t illegal but the substance is, which the drug happens to contain. Substances mixing with one another can result in different effects so it’s very very complicated. It makes absolutely no sense that ROC, being under probation, would be stupid enough to dose up their athletes risking the entire country getting permanently banned, just think about it. You got to be an idiot to do something illegal like this.

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