American figure skater Madison Hubbell won the gold medal with her partner Zachary Donohue in the 2022 Olympic Games team event after the Court of Arbitration for Sport made a controversial ruling involving Kamila Valieva. Hubbell expressed deep surprise at the outcome, noting that Valieva did not receive special treatment because of her age and that the same standards applied to all athletes. The decision reinforced Hubbell’s belief in the integrity of the sports governance system and how it handles complex cases.
The CAS verdict, which banned Valieva for four years starting in December 2021, was announced on January 29. This ruling followed a high-profile case that had captured global attention and prompted a wide range of reactions across the skating community. At the 2022 Olympics, Valieva competed for Russia as part of the team event, achieving first place in that event while finishing fourth in the individual ladies competition. In response to Valieva’s disqualification, the International Skating Union adjusted the podium, placing Russia in third overall while preserving the medals awarded to other nations. The United States claimed gold in the team event, and Japan took silver, reshaping the final standings in a moment that underscored the sometimes volatile intersection of sport and anti-doping regulations.
The Russian national team also faced other consequences in this period. Notably, coach Eteri Tutberidze watched as some of her teams were unable to secure top honors at major national and European championships in 2022. At the Russian Championships of that year, a positive test result linked to a banned substance circulated as part of broader discussions about doping controls in Russia. Those events fed into a larger narrative about how doping controls are implemented at the highest levels of the sport and how investigations impact teams, athletes, and their coaches.
Daniil Gleikhengauz, a longtime choreographer who has collaborated with Tutberidze, publicly asserted that the teams under Tutberidze’s direction never relied on performance-enhancing substances. His comments were part of a broader effort within the skating community to emphasize the importance of fair play and rigorous testing, as well as to push back against allegations that may circulate during times of high tension and uncertainty. The discussions surrounding these statements reflect the ongoing debate about integrity in figure skating, including how coaches, athletes, and national programs respond to doping concerns and sanctions.
The case involving Valieva and the related disclosures touched many aspects of Olympic competition. It highlighted the role of international federations in enforcing rules, the impact of doping decisions on team results, and the emotional responses of athletes who compete under intense scrutiny. For Hubbell and her U.S. teammates, the experience underscored the accountability framework that governs elite sport and the ways in which decisions at the CAS and ISU levels can reshape outcomes years after a qualifying event. It also illustrated the pressures faced by athletes who compete on the world stage when the rules governing eligibility and testing intersect with the drama of Olympic competition, often in front of a global audience that expects clarity and fairness from sports authorities.
Throughout the period surrounding the 2022 Games, there was careful attention paid to how age, eligibility, and ethical standards intersect with performance, media scrutiny, and national pride. The conversations that followed the CAS decision emphasized the importance of consistency in enforcement and the ongoing effort to earn and maintain trust in the sport’s governance structures. For fans of figure skating, the episode offered a stark reminder that great athletic achievement can coexist with complex legal and regulatory proceedings, and that the ultimate goal remains a clean, competitive arena where skill and precision define success. In the years ahead, stakeholders across skating communities will continue to evaluate how policies are applied, how athletes are supported through challenging investigations, and how future generations can compete with confidence in a system that values fair play as its foundation.