The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected Canada’s appeal to strip Russia of the bronze medal in the team figure skating event at the 2022 Winter Olympics, upholding the International Skating Union’s (ISU) original ranking. This decision comes after Russian skater Kamila Valieva was disqualified for four years due to a doping violation, causing Russia to drop from first to third place.The final standings remain: United States (gold, 65 points), Japan (silver, 63 points), and Russia (bronze, 54 points), with Canada in fourth place (53 points). The CAS panel concluded that while Valieva’s results were correctly deducted from the team event, there was no possibility to redistribute points in favor of the Canadian team under ISU rules.Canada had argued that the ISU should re-score the competition, potentially moving them into bronze medal position. However, the ISU chose what it called the ‘most neutral’ path, awarding Russia a medal despite Valieva’s disqualification. ISU legal consultant Michael Hestilow explained that stripping Russia of all medals would have been equivalent to saying Russia did not compete at all, which was not the case.The decision has been met with disappointment from the Canadian Olympic Committee and Skate Canada. Canadian skater Megan Duhamel called the decision ‘unfair’ and ‘unjust’. Meanwhile, the Russian Figure Skating Federation, while not pleased with the bronze, acknowledged that their team demonstrated ‘the full strength of Russian figure skating’ in Beijing.The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has planned a medal ceremony for the U.S. and Japanese teams on Wednesday, August 7, in Paris. However, the Russian team will not be present at this ceremony, as the Russian Olympic Committee is currently suspended and will not be represented at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Key points
- The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected Canada’s appeal to strip Russia of the bronze medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics team figure skating event.
- The decision upholds the International Skating Union’s (ISU) original ranking: USA (gold), Japan (silver), Russia (bronze).
- Russian skater Kamila Valieva was disqualified for four years due to a doping violation, causing Russia to drop from first to third place.
- The medal ceremony for the U.
S.
and Japanese teams will be held in Paris, but the Russian team will not be present due to the Russian Olympic Committee’s suspension.
Contradictions👾While most sources report disappointment from the Canadian side, one Russian source (Sports.
ru) claimed that the ISU stated, ‘We are grateful that these dedicated athletes will finally be recognized and receive the medals they deserve,’ which seems to contradict the overall sentiment.
