Kind of surprised

[tlynn78]

..that tptb are letting our figure skating commentators be so very clear about their feelings about Valiyeva being allowed to skate

[Estonut]

..that tptb are letting our figure skating commentators be so very clear about their feelings about Valiyeva being allowed to skate

Didn't they get Pelosi's warning?

[tlynn78]

..that tptb are letting our figure skating commentators be so very clear about their feelings about Valiyeva being allowed to skate

Didn't they get Pelosi's warning?

I don't know about that - are people still listening to her? I just know that while there have been other 'scandals' in the Olympic skating world, I don't recall the US commentators being quite so... frank about their opinions. Maybe I'm just not remembering. The young lady in question is a truly stunning skater.

[Vandal]

American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson sees double standard in handling of Russian skater's doping case

Sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson questioned why Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was allowed to continue competing at the Beijing Games amid a doping charge on Monday, months after a positive test for cannabis derailed her own Olympic dreams.

The 21-year-old American was expected to be one of the biggest draws at the Tokyo Summer Games after winning the 100 meters at the U.S. trials, but was barred from competing after accepting a one-month ban for her positive test for cannabis.

She later said her action was the result of mourning the death of her mother, as the incident rekindled the debate over the use of cannabis among athletes.

"Can we get a solid answer on the difference of [Valieva's] situation and mines?" Richardson wrote on Twitter on Monday. "My mother died and I can't run and was also favoured to place top 3. The only difference I see is I'm a black young lady."

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/wint ... -1.6351182

[tlynn78]

American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson sees double standard in handling of Russian skater's doping case

Sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson questioned why Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was allowed to continue competing at the Beijing Games amid a doping charge on Monday, months after a positive test for cannabis derailed her own Olympic dreams.

The 21-year-old American was expected to be one of the biggest draws at the Tokyo Summer Games after winning the 100 meters at the U.S. trials, but was barred from competing after accepting a one-month ban for her positive test for cannabis.

She later said her action was the result of mourning the death of her mother, as the incident rekindled the debate over the use of cannabis among athletes.

"Can we get a solid answer on the difference of [Valieva's] situation and mines?" Richardson wrote on Twitter on Monday. "My mother died and I can't run and was also favoured to place top 3. The only difference I see is I'm a black young lady."

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/wint ... -1.6351182

She's absolutely correct about the unfairness of all this. While I feel for her, her elimination was the right thing to do - a banned substance is a banned substance. THe ROC skater should likewise not have been allowed to compete.

[mellytu74]

The US Commentators have been blunt. The BBC has been blunter - touching on overscoring of the ROC women and underscoring of the Japanese women. I agree with the BBC (and Tara and Johnny).

Both Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir talked about how, when they had colds, their mothers had to call the skating authorities to check what OTC meds they could give to the kids so they wouldn't test positive. They were tested year-round (there was no off-season for them, as Weir put it) and could be tested at any time.

It goes deeper than just Kamila Valieva, though. Her coach, Eteri Tutberidze, is known for her tough (read Draconian) methods.

From Slate (this reflects the reporting from many sources):

"Tutberidze has come to be regarded as the world’s leading expert in creating figure skating champions. Her methods are no secret.

"The Eteri girls talk openly about not being able to drink water during competitions. They do their best to delay puberty by eating only “powdered nutrients” or by taking Lupron, a puberty blocker known to induce menopause. They are subjected to daily public weigh-ins and verbal and physical abuse. And they compete while injured, huffing “smelling salts” while wearing knee braces and collapsing in pain after programs."

From NBC:

"In less than a decade, Tutberidze has gone from being one of many Russian skating coaches to the leader of a dynasty.

Her breakthrough came when Yulia Lipnitskaya helped Russia win the team event gold in Sochi in 2014, becoming the second-youngest gold medalist in the history of the sport. Four years later, Tutberidze had the top two women, with Alina Zagitova beating Evgenia Medvedeva for the gold. In Beijing, Tutberidze coaches all three Russian women, who could sweep the podium with their high-scoring quad jumps.

Tutberidze can select the most promising young Russian skaters for her camp, which has enviable facilities and funding. At the national championships where Valiyeva tested positive in December, a Tutberidze skater won for the seventh year in a row.

"Defending Olympic champion Zagitova took a break in December 2019 at 17, saying she needed to find motivation after losing to younger Russians with quad jumps. She hasn’t skated competitively since and focuses on a TV career. Medvedeva performed at the 2018 Games with a cracked bone in her foot. Three months later, she left Tutberidze’s camp to train with Brian Orser in Canada, saying she wanted to “work together with a coach like (a) friend.”

Lipnitskaya retired at 19, revealing she had struggled with anorexia. Chronic back injuries forced retirement last year for Elizabet Tursynbaeva of Kazakhstan, the first woman to land a quad at the world championships in 2019. Another Tutberidze skater, Darya Usacheva, suffered a serious injury in November and traveled home in a wheelchair."

As tgirl pointed out, Valieva is a truly stunning skater.

I don't think I am exaggerating to say she's possibly a once-in-a-generation talent. Her skills - not just the jumps - are remarkable. She was likely to win no less than silver at these Games. Now, anything she does will be tainted. And it didn't have to be.

One point about Sha'Carri Richardson.

Yes, she has a point. It IS wretchedly unfair.

BUT she was banned by UST&F before Tokyo and not any Olympic entity during the Games. There is most definitely a double standard - but I think it's as much between Russia and Western countries, which holds coaches and athletes accountable, as it is/might be race.

That said, I am not sure the substance that Richardson was banned for would be performance-enhancing unless you were sitting in with Miles Davis at Birdland in 1951.

[tlynn78]

The US Commentators have been blunt. The BBC has been blunter - touching on overscoring of the ROC women and underscoring of the Japanese women. I agree with the BBC (and Tara and Johnny).

Both Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir talked about how, when they had colds, their mothers had to call the skating authorities to check what OTC meds they could give to the kids so they wouldn't test positive. They were tested year-round (there was no off-season for them, as Weir put it) and could be tested at any time.

It goes deeper than just Kamila Valieva, though. Her coach, Eteri Tutberidze, is known for her tough (read Draconian) methods.

From Slate (this reflects the reporting from many sources):

"Tutberidze has come to be regarded as the world’s leading expert in creating figure skating champions. Her methods are no secret.

"The Eteri girls talk openly about not being able to drink water during competitions. They do their best to delay puberty by eating only “powdered nutrients” or by taking Lupron, a puberty blocker known to induce menopause. They are subjected to daily public weigh-ins and verbal and physical abuse. And they compete while injured, huffing “smelling salts” while wearing knee braces and collapsing in pain after programs."

From NBC:

"In less than a decade, Tutberidze has gone from being one of many Russian skating coaches to the leader of a dynasty.

Her breakthrough came when Yulia Lipnitskaya helped Russia win the team event gold in Sochi in 2014, becoming the second-youngest gold medalist in the history of the sport. Four years later, Tutberidze had the top two women, with Alina Zagitova beating Evgenia Medvedeva for the gold. In Beijing, Tutberidze coaches all three Russian women, who could sweep the podium with their high-scoring quad jumps.

Tutberidze can select the most promising young Russian skaters for her camp, which has enviable facilities and funding. At the national championships where Valiyeva tested positive in December, a Tutberidze skater won for the seventh year in a row.

"Defending Olympic champion Zagitova took a break in December 2019 at 17, saying she needed to find motivation after losing to younger Russians with quad jumps. She hasn’t skated competitively since and focuses on a TV career. Medvedeva performed at the 2018 Games with a cracked bone in her foot. Three months later, she left Tutberidze’s camp to train with Brian Orser in Canada, saying she wanted to “work together with a coach like (a) friend.”

Lipnitskaya retired at 19, revealing she had struggled with anorexia. Chronic back injuries forced retirement last year for Elizabet Tursynbaeva of Kazakhstan, the first woman to land a quad at the world championships in 2019. Another Tutberidze skater, Darya Usacheva, suffered a serious injury in November and traveled home in a wheelchair."

As tgirl pointed out, Valieva is a truly stunning skater.

I don't think I am exaggerating to say she's possibly a once-in-a-generation talent. Her skills - not just the jumps - are remarkable. She was likely to win no less than silver at these Games. Now, anything she does will be tainted. And it didn't have to be.

One point about Sha'Carri Richardson.

Yes, she has a point. It IS wretchedly unfair.

BUT she was banned by UST&F before Tokyo and not any Olympic entity during the Games. There is most definitely a double standard - but I think it's as much between Russia and Western countries, which holds coaches and athletes accountable, as it is/might be race.

That said, I am not sure the substance that Richardson was banned for would be performance-enhancing unless you were sitting in with Miles Davis at Birdland in 1951.

There's that, too. Just a bad, bad deal.

[mellytu74]

Another thing I just thought of - as I watch Saucy's team ....

Richardson admitted to smoking marijuana and accepted her punishment.

Valieva's reported excuse was that she accidently drank some of her grandfather's water. She was in St. Peterburg at the time. Her grandfather was not. Turns out, there were also two other heart meds (non-banned) in her sample.

How do you write, "The dog ate my homework" in Cyrillic?

[tlynn78]

Another thing I just thought of - as I watch Saucy's team ....

Richardson admitted to smoking marijuana and accepted her punishment.

Valieva's reported excuse was that she accidently drank some of her grandfather's water. She was in St. Peterburg at the time. Her grandfather was not. Turns out, there were also two other heart meds (non-banned) in her sample.

How do you write, "The dog ate my homework" in Cyrillic?

lol- right? It made me think of the BBT episode where Howard was helping his mom rub her hormone cream on her back and experienced certain symptoms as a result.

[Vandal]

Valieva ended up

Spoiler

in fourth

[silverscreenselect]

Valieva's reported excuse was that she accidently drank some of her grandfather's water. She was in St. Peterburg at the time. Her grandfather was not. Turns out, there were also two other heart meds (non-banned) in her sample.

I don't think that it's accurate to refer to "her" excuse. She's a 15-year-old girl who has probably spent the last several years in intense training. I'm sure she eats, drinks, medicates, exercises, practices, and trains exactly what and when her coaches tell her. This isn't her excuse. This is the excuse of Russian Olympic officials who have been hot water with the IOC for the last decade. But other than banning an "official" Russian team and letting them compete under the flag of the IOC and call themselves the "Russian Olympic Committee," the IOC hasn't done a thing about this.

[Bob Juch]

Another thing I just thought of - as I watch Saucy's team ....

Richardson admitted to smoking marijuana and accepted her punishment.

Valieva's reported excuse was that she accidently drank some of her grandfather's water. She was in St. Peterburg at the time. Her grandfather was not. Turns out, there were also two other heart meds (non-banned) in her sample.

How do you write, "The dog ate my homework" in Cyrillic?

Собака съела мою домашнюю работу.

[mellytu74]

Valieva's reported excuse was that she accidently drank some of her grandfather's water. She was in St. Peterburg at the time. Her grandfather was not. Turns out, there were also two other heart meds (non-banned) in her sample.

I don't think that it's accurate to refer to "her" excuse. She's a 15-year-old girl who has probably spent the last several years in intense training. I'm sure she eats, drinks, medicates, exercises, practices, and trains exactly what and when her coaches tell her. This isn't her excuse. This is the excuse of Russian Olympic officials who have been hot water with the IOC for the last decade. But other than banning an "official" Russian team and letting them compete under the flag of the IOC and call themselves the "Russian Olympic Committee," the IOC hasn't done a thing about this.

You're right that it was likely what the ROC/IOC/whomever told her to say. You saw my post above where it details the "vitamins" they told people they took.

Her family bought into it - her mother said that's what happened. Her grandfather even posted something. So, by default, it became "her" excuse.

The IOC won't fare much better this summer.

ESPN is doing a documentary on Butch Reynolds, the US sprinter who has spent 30 years trying to clear his name after he was accused of doping. The sample wasn't his and the lab admitted it wasn't his. He should have been exonerated years ago.

Coincidently, former Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Bill Livingston wrote a book about Reynolds and his quest. It was supposed to be published last year but was pushed back to this year to coincide with the ESPN documentary.

if it is possible, the IOC and the international track and field organizations look worse than in this Olympics.