But, what will the International Olympic Committee do to protect her from further abuse? Ms. Valieva will place with Gold as she is a magnificent skater with dignity, grace and every aspect of perfection the sport requires and dreams. But, Russia did it again, ruined yet another Olympics for the athletes they have sent to represent their country. No ceremonies in the Women's Ice Skating Competition. That seems interesting to what is sincerely a global issue with Russian althletes.
A sixteen year old with performance enhancing medication in her system and her lawyer makes the excuse it is a trace of something that her grandfather takes for his heart. So, is the lawyer saying this 16 year old dabbled in performance enhancing drugs all by herself only to be caught in a drug test? I doubt her grandfather force fed it to her.
This is negligence at the very least by Russia to be sure their athelets are not involved with such issues. But, truly the adults, especially the coachs are responsible for child abuse. This was not a mistake, it was a medication given to her to ensure her performance and it is malicious and typical.
The international community should offer Ms Valieva and her famiy, including her grandfather, asylum from the abuse that permiates the ugly history of Russian Olympic contestants. This must stop. A 16 year old women's ice skating champion with sheer perfection in her movements was given a performance enhancing drug for absolutely no reason at all, except to make a political statement that the Olympics will allow tainted athletes to compete and win, but, alas without a metal ceremony as punishment.
Don't think for one minute this isn't put front and center with a beautiful child to demean this democratic arena where fairness outweighs dictators wishes. There is no doubt, as far as I am concerned, that she is a victim, not just of Russian doping, but, of the maniacal global politics of a bitter president and his demands for attention. It wasn't enough to have the world's greatest woman skater in the world, she had to be used to make a statement by a Russian president that knows only bitterness for the "arena of democratic fairness."
Putin's Russian arrogance, in a country that bows to his every whim, is on full display with Ms. Valieva and his wish to make a beautiful sport bittersweet. Still yet another reason for the "Russian people" to feel beleagured by world judgement and a real reason yet again to fight the war that will pheonix the Soviet Union.
She and her family need asylum if she is ever to grace the world with her magnificent potential and with all the honors that accompanies it.
Beijing - She will always be the girl with the ghost medal, a tragic figure. (click here)
If Russian teenager Kamila Valieva wins Olympic gold here on Thursday — because even when she’s imperfect, she’s brilliant — there will be no medal ceremony. Not for her and, as drive-by victims, not for the other two figure skating podium finishers either. It’s all too pending, too pendulous, too hanging fire.
And they’d have to take it away from her later, should the doping case against Valieva be substantiated down the road. Best not to even let her touch it.
But if the sports authorities get all mushy about the teen’s guilt, find an exculpating wedge of amnesty, just as the Court of Arbitration for Sport did on Monday — examining the dilemma through a very narrow lens of culpability and allowing the shy adolescent to compete in Tuesday’s short program despite testing positive for a banned substance — then the medal (medals) will be yielded later. Still radiating toxicity, though, tainted rather than burnished.
As spectral in her possession at some future date as it is phantom-like now: the gold she’ll probably win and the gold she’s already won in the team event.
Can it ever bring her pleasure or would it burn her fingers?
The fingers she laced together and held over her eyes at the end of her “In Memoriam” program on Tuesday evening, covering her tears, the strain of the past few days finally breaking through.
We need reminding, maybe, that this is a child and the ordeal she’s experiencing is akin to child abuse...
The New York Times is reporting there were many drugs in her system (click here). That is nothing but child abuse. Plain and simple.
