Feb. 14 (UPI) — Olympians and Olympic committees spoke out Monday,opposing a ruling that allowed Russian Kamila Valieva’s continued participation in the 2022 Winter Games, despite her positive test result for a banned substance.
The International Olympic Committee said it “has to follow the rule of law to allow” Valieva to compete, but no medals will be distributed for any country if she reaches the podium in any event, or for any country from last week’s team figure skating competition.
That means Team USA and Japan won’t receive their respective silver and bronze medals from the team event until the issue is resolved.
“We are devastated that [the U.S. figure skating team] will leave Beijing without their medals in hand, but we appreciate the intention of the IOC to ensure the right medals are awarded to the right individuals,” a U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee spokesperson said in a statement.
