The head of US anti-doping authorities, Travis Tygart, criticized the decision surrounding the Russian figure skating team after Kamila Valieva’s disqualification. He argued that the bronze medal won by Russia in the team event at the 2022 Olympic Games could not stand under the rules that governed the case, and he implied that the outcome should be reconsidered in favor of a top placement for Canada.
According to Tygart, it was inappropriate that Valieva faced a long delay before the Russian team could claim the Olympic bronze. He suggested that the disciplinary framework in use should determine the final standings, and he indicated that Canada deserved bronze if the process were applied with strict fairness.
On January 29, the Court of Arbitration for Sport suspended Valieva for four years and annulled the competition results from December 25, 2021. The CAS decision noted that Valieva had tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine following Russia’s victory in the team event at the 2022 Games, leading to the annulment of the relevant results.
The following day, the International Skating Union announced updated medal standings for the Beijing 2022 team event. With Valieva’s results erased, Russia dropped from first to third place, while the United States moved to gold and Japan to silver.
Canada, whose skaters finished in fourth place, would have been in medal contention under the revised scoring if the ISU had recalculated the scores of the skaters who competed after Valieva. The situation sparked debate about how results should be adjusted after disqualifications and how the final podium should be interpreted under the sport’s rules.
Earlier coverage referenced actions by RUSADA related to the imposition of sanctions connected to Valieva’s case and the broader doping investigation surrounding her entourage.