“Do I feel sorry for her? I don't think so,” Japanese figure skater Kaori Sakamoto said after finishing third in the short program to the Russian skater, whose suspension for a positive test of a banned substance was overturned.
Tara Lipinski, the 1998 Olympics gold medalist in women's singles,, “I almost don’t believe what I’m seeing” during Valieva’s warm up on NBC, adding she didn’t think she would be allowed to compete, and doesn’t think she should be.
Adam Rippon, a former U.S. figure skater who’s coaching U.S. team member Mariah Bell, called the ladies event “a complete joke” and “not a real competition” in a , lamenting the Olympic experiences “stolen” from athletes who did not use performance-enhancing drugs to get to the 2022 Games.Time he’s questioning what it means to be an Olympian, and that while he puts the blame on people around Valieva, “if she did cheat, it’s very simple to me—she shouldn’t be competing.”Valieva’s drug test “totally destroys the Olympic spirit” and questioned what kind of message the IOC is sending to young athletes with Olympic aspirations.
The Russian Olympic Committee did not send Valieva to speak during a press conference following the short program, and a spokesperson for the Russian figure skating federation did not immediately respond to a request for comment fromSeveral Russian athletes and officials applauded the decision to let Valieva compete. Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin“the only right and fair decision” to allow her to compete in the individual event.
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