BEIJING(Washington Insider Magazine) – The medal presentation for the team figure skating event at the Beijing Winter Olympics was delayed due to a legal issue that might impact medalists, according to the International Olympic Committee.
The nature of the concern was not explained by the committee.
The event was postponed, according to prominent Russian media, because one of the skaters failed a drug test for a prohibited drug in December. Trimetazidine, a cardiac medicine, is the chemical in dispute.
According to NBC NEWS, Russian skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for the prohibited chemical late last year, which helps the heart muscle operate more properly when it is having less oxygen provided to it.
The tournament ended on Monday after many days of rigorous skating, with the Russian Olympic Committee taking gold, the United States taking silver, and Japan taking bronze.
It was the greatest result for Team USA in the event since its inception in 2014.
At a press conference on Wednesday, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said that “a situation arose” at moment’s notice that necessitates a “legal consultation” with the International Skating Union, the sport’s governing body. There was no more information offered.
According to The Associated Press, if any individual or team is banned, an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport is probable. In the event that a medal-winning team is disqualified, Canada, which finished fourth, will be promoted.
Women’s and men’s competitions, ice dance and pair skating are all part of the team figure skating tournament, which takes place over multiple days.
Valieva, a 15-year-old Russian sensation, became the first woman to land a quadruple at the Olympics, helping her team win gold in Beijing after a strong performance.
Nathan Chen, who is aiming for singles gold this week, was on the American squad, as was Vincent Zhou, who has been ruled out of the Olympics after testing positive for Covid-19 on Monday.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, stated that the public should wait for an explanation from Russian games officials or the IOC on the reason for the delay.
Because to a judgment by the Court of Arbitration for Sport following a major case accusing Russia of state-ordered manipulation of a testing laboratory database in Moscow, Russian athletes are not authorized to participate under their country’s name, flag, or anthem.
Requests for a response from the Russian Skating Federation and the Russian Olympic Committee were not immediately returned.
Image via Time
