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U.S. figure skaters to receive team gold medal after delays tied to Valieva doping
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PARIS — Nine members of the U.S. figure skating team are finally set to receive their gold medals — two years late — during a special ceremony at the Paris Summer Olympics.
The ceremony comes after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Thursday rejected final appeals by Russia's Olympic Committee of punishments linked to a sports doping scandal involving star skater Kamila Valieva.
"The panel deliberated and concluded that the results of Ms. Valieva in the Olympic figure skating team event were correctly disqualified," CAS officials said in a statement.
In 2022, Valieva, then 15-years-old, led her team to a gold medal win at the Beijing Winter Games, with the U.S. taking silver and Japan bronze.
But during the Games it was revealed that Valieva had tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug months earlier.
She was eventually disqualified and her performance in Beijing invalidated. That appeared to clear the way for the U.S. team to win gold medals.
But the controversy then dragged on for years while Russian officials appealed the decision.
On Thursday, however, the CAS panel concluded finally that the Russian skaters who competed alongside Valieva "could not be awarded the gold medal."
The International Olympic Committee released a statement on Thursday saying CAS's decision comes "just in time" to schedule a medal ceremony in Paris.
The ceremony is tentatively set for August 7 in Champions Park in Paris's Trocadero Gardens at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
"We are glad that this opportunity can be offered to the athletes and teams who, unfortunately, had to wait for a very long time for their medals due to the ongoing legal case," the IOC said in its statement.
The Americans set to be honored are: Nathan Chen, Vincent Zhou, Karen Chen, Alexa Knierim, Brandon Frazier, Madison Chock, Evan Mates, Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue.
"We are thrilled to finally honor these incredible athletes," said Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, who added that details of the event aren't yet confirmed.
"We are especially excited that the beautiful city of Paris will join us in this celebration," Hirshland said.
This is the latest blow to Russia’s once powerful sports programs, hammered by doping scandals and restrictions linked to the war in Ukraine.
While the U.S. receives the gold medal, the silver will go to Japan.
There is still one final question unanswered by Thursday's CAS decision.
The sports tribunal is still weighing whether the bronze medal should go to Canada or to Russia.
In a separate statement, CAS said an appeal filed by Canadian skaters and the Canadian Olympic Committee was reviewed this week at a hearing in Lausanne, Switzerland, but they declined to say when a final ruling will be issued.
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