The figure skating community is up in arms over Russian skater Kamila Valieva‘s failed drug test.
Of course, as we’ve been reporting, the 15-year-old skater has been allowed to compete at the Beijing Olympics despite having recently tested positive for a banned substance.
On Tuesday, Valieva took to the ice in Beijing for her highly controversial and much-anticipated short program — and earned the top score of the day among medal hopefuls, 82.16. Now, heading into Thursday night’s upcoming finals in the short program, the Russian teenager remains the favorite to win the gold medal.
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Valieva’s story has drawn the ire of the figure skating world, though, because of her ability to compete even in spite of the failed drug test. And on Tuesday morning, several high-profile U.S. figure skaters let their thoughts be known regarding the teenager’s presence in the medal competition.
Figure skater Adam Rippon needed just one word to share his displeasure with Valieva’s showing, tweeting “disgrace” in response to the breakdown of her Tuesday short program score:
Disgrace
— Adam Rippon (@AdamRippon) February 15, 2022
And Rippon wasn’t alone!
During their commentary about the program on NBC, former Olympic heroes Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir both called Valieva out for competing even after failing the drug test. Tara had previously voiced her dissent for the decision to let her continue, tweeting immediately following the announcement Sunday night:
I strongly disagree with this decision. At the end of the day, there was a positive test and there is no question in my mind that she should not be allowed to compete. Regardless of age or timing of the test/results. I believe this will leave a permanent scar on our sport.
— Tara Lipinski (@taralipinski) February 14, 2022
Vocal about her displeasure through the whole performance, Lipinski said at one point during Valieva’s warm-up (below):
“To be honest, I almost don’t believe what I’m seeing. Seeing her on Olympic ice right now with everything we’ve discovered over the last week. I did not think this was going to happen and I don’t think it should be happening. … She had a positive test. We should not have seen this skate.”
Amen! Play by the rules, or you shouldn’t be allowed to play at all!
Weir was very, very silent throughout much of her program, and later finally added:
“All I feel like I can say is that was the short program of Kamila Valieva at the Olympics.”
Wow.
Weir is SO gregarious and knowledgeable about these events. So for him to be almost completely silent during Valieva’s program and then say something so painfully neutral says EVERYTHING.
And they were far from the only ones commenting publicly about the contentious short program from Valieva. U.S. skaters past and present, including Mirai Nagasu, Bradie Tennell, and Ashley Wagner all spoke up about the controversy:
The support from y’all is everything on a day like this. I can’t even relay to everyone how annoyed I am about how helpless I truly feel. We all pledge for clean sport but the event isn’t going to have a medal ceremony if one athlete gets top 3? What?
— Mirai Nagasu (@mirai_nagasu) February 14, 2022
— Bradie Tennell (@bradie_tennell) February 14, 2022
This shouldn’t be happening. #WinterOlympics #figureskating
— Ashley Wagner (@AshWagner2010) February 15, 2022
And fans let their thoughts be known, too.
Here are just a few of the strong reactions about Valieva’s short program presence via Twitter (below):
“She shouldn’t be allowed to compete!!!! It’s a disgrace!”
“I cannot imagine being at these games. Im so angry that so many of us dedicated our lives to something that now is falling apart. This is unconscionable and unacceptable.”
“if I as a viewer feel so devastated, I can’t even imagine what the women competing should feel like”
“I’m no longer watching figure skating at the olympics. It makes me sad that the clean athletes that are being robbed of an Olympic moment and a fair competition.”
“I’m not angry anymore, I’m more sad then anything else. It’s just not fair to all these ladies who are here skating clean and fair”
“I can’t bring myself to even watch, it’s so wrong. I just turned off the TV.”
FWIW, the International Olympic Committee has already stated that Valieva will not receive a medal ceremony if she does manage to finish in the top three after Thursday’s finals. So that’s something?
But still, it’s absurd that the Court of Arbitration for Sports even allowed her to continue to compete in the first place.
Such a dark mark on the sport forever that she’s still competing!!!
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