A Court of Arbitration for Sport panel sat at the Olympics made the ruling Monday. Valieva, 15 years old, is the favourite in the women’s single event. She has already won gold last week when Russian athletes competed as ROC (short for Russian Olympic Committee).
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“The panel decided that the athlete would be prevented from competing at the Olympic Games. We wouldn’t have this case. I would not have been here if the anti-doping testing procedures had been completed in one week, or 10 days, as is the norm for the Olympic Games.” — Court of Arbitration for Sport Director Matthieu Reeb.
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“I strongly disagree. There was a positive test at the end and I have no doubt that she should be allowed to compete. No matter what age, timing or results of the test. “I believe that this will leave a permanent scare on our sport.” — Tara Lipinski (1998), Olympic gold medalist. She is now a figure skating analyst at NBC’s coverage the Beijing Games.
Kamila, We are with You!” — Moscow billboards placed around Moscow on the eve the ruling.
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“She was positive for a banned substance. It’s not clear what it is. She should be expelled. It’s that simple. What message are they sending millions of boys and girls involved in sport, especially figure skating? It is the most sacred competition on earth that cheaters can compete in. It completely destroys the Olympic spirit.” — Arthur Liu (father of Alysa Liu), a U.S. figure skating competitor and Valieva competitor
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“We are disappointed at the message this decision sends. The entire Olympic community has a collective responsibility to ensure the integrity of sport, and hold all athletes, coaches, and others to the highest standards. Athletes deserve to feel that they are on an equal playing field. Today, however, this right is being denied. This is yet another example of Russia’s systemic and widespread disregard for clean sports. “We know that this case isn’t yet closed. We call on all members of the Olympic Movement to continue fighting for clean sport on behalf athletes around the globe.” — U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland.
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“The fundamental issue is what type of high-performance sport do we want? We are more convinced that young athletes need to be allowed to develop. Humane high-performance sports can’t be made too demanding too soon.” — German Olympic Sports Confederation president Thomas Weikert.
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“This girl, one the most prominent figures in figure skating, was unaware of what was happening. She had to deal with pressure, stress, and a lot of psychological trauma. We are happy with the CAS decision and grateful for the fair ruling in the spirit of common sense.” — Russian Figure Skating Federation CEO Alexander Kogan, to the Tass state media agency.
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“Go Kamila!” — Russian Ice Dancer and Fellow Team Event Gold Medal Winner Nikita Katsalapov
