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Olympics: ROC 15-year-old sensation fails drug test

February 10, 2022
The GIST: In a stunning update to yesterday’s news about an ROC figure skater failing a drug test, the skater is allegedly 15-year-old sensation Kamila Valieva. Just awful.
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Olympics: ROC 15-year-old sensation fails drug test
AJENGLISH/TWITTER

The GIST: In a stunning update to yesterday’s news about an ROC figure skater failing a drug test, the skater is allegedly 15-year-old sensation Kamila Valieva. Just awful.

The latest: Valieva — who just made history as the first woman to land a quadruple jump at the Olympics — reportedly tested positive for a banned heart medication that can help endurance and increase blood flow. Previous Olympians who tested positive for this drug received months-long bans.

The context: It’s not exactly a shock to learn that a member of the ROC is at the center of this scandal. Russian athletes are competing as the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) after the country was banned from the Games for a state-sponsored doping scheme during the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

  • What is shocking and deeply troubling is a 15-year-old being caught up in this mess. With countless examples of young athletes being abused by corrupt systems, our hearts break for Valieva.

What’s next: The International Olympic Committee has remained silent amid the reports, with the Russian Figure Skating Federation saying, “She is not suspended,” a statement further confirmed by Valieva’s appearance at yesterday’s training session.

  • That’s right, while we wait for a ruling on the ROC’s team-event gold, the teen star is still set to compete (and a favorite to win gold) in next week’s women’s singles competition. This story’s not going anywhere.
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