Current:Home > FinanceRussian figure skater Kamila Valieva received a 4-year ban. Her team's Olympic gold medal could go to Team USA. -MacroWatch
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva received a 4-year ban. Her team's Olympic gold medal could go to Team USA.
Benjamin Ashford View
Date:2025-04-10 02:17:40
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has been banned from the sport until 2025 after it was found she committed an anti-doping rule violation, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said Monday. Valieva, who with the Russian Olympic Committee earned gold in the team event at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, will be stripped of any awards she earned since late 2021.
Valieva tested positive for a banned drug, trimetazidine, but the court ruled she could still compete in the Beijing Games as it investigated, which it said would take months.
At the time, the court said it decided to let Valieva, just 15 at the time, compete because she was a minor and had to follow different rules than an adult athlete.
The International Olympic Committee, however, said if she placed in the competition, there would be no podium ceremony to hand out the medals.
Her performance in the team figure skating competition helped the Russians finish first, but they were not awarded a gold medal at the podium.
The U.S. earned silver in the event and Japan got bronze, according to CBS Sports. Now, the gold medal might be given to Team USA — nearly two years after the competition.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee was told Monday that the IOC would award Team USA the gold medal in the wake of Valieva's suspension, The Associated Press reported Monday night based on an email it obtained from the IOC to the U.S. committee.
In a statement following the news of Valieva's suspension, the U.S. Olympics and Paralympics Committee said the decision was one it had been "eagerly awaiting for two years."
The committee commended Team USA — Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim and Vincent Zhou — saying their performances in Beijing "will forever symbolize their commitment to clean competition."
"We now anticipate the day when we can wholeheartedly celebrate these athletes, along with their peers from around the world," the committee said. "Their moment is approaching, and when it arrives, it will serve as a testament to the justice and recognition they truly deserve."
The court issued a four-year ban for Valieva, beginning in December 2021, which is when she took the drug test. At the time, Valieva claimed the medication was her grandfather's and she accidentally took it after a mix-up.
But the court said on Monday that after an investigation, Valieva was not able to prove that she did not intentionally take the medication.
As part of the four-year ban, all of Valieva's competitive results from Dec. 25, 2021, onward will be disqualified and she will forfeit titles, awards, medals, profits, prizes, and appearance money.
- In:
- Olympics
- Kamila Valieva
- Russia
- International Olympic Committee
Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.
veryGood! (78)
Related
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj feud escalates with 'get up on your good foot' lyric
- AP Week in Pictures: Asia
- Airstrikes in central Gaza kill 15 overnight while fighting intensifies in the enclave’s south
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Jimmy Buffett Day: Florida 'Margaritaville' license plate, memorial highway announced
- Horoscopes Today, January 26, 2024
- New Hampshire veteran admits to faking his need for a wheelchair to claim $660,000 in extra benefits
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Georgia senators vote for board to oversee secretary of state despite constitutional questions
Ranking
- Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
- Georgia senators vote for board to oversee secretary of state despite constitutional questions
- Many Costa Ricans welcome court ruling that they don’t have to use their father’s surname first
- Tensions simmering in the South China Sea and violence in Myanmar as Laos takes over ASEAN chair
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- Justice Department finds Cuomo sexually harassed employees, settles with New York state
- Kim Kardashian Reveals If Her Kids Will Take Over Her Beauty Empire
- Mail freeze: Latest frigid weather is adding to the postal service's delivery woes
Recommendation
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
‘In the Summers’ and ‘Porcelain War’ win top prizes at Sundance Film Festival
A bride was told her dress would cost more because she's Black. Her fiancé won't stand for it.
Kim Kardashian Reveals If Her Kids Will Take Over Her Beauty Empire
South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
Review: Austin Butler's WWII epic 'Masters of the Air' is way too slow off the runway
Luka Doncic lights up Hawks for 73 points, tied for fourth-most in one game in NBA history
Evacuations underway in northeast Illinois after ice jam break on river causes significant flooding