Response from the Olympics and social media after Russian determine skater Kamila Valieva was cleared to compete in Beijing regardless of failing a drug take a look at in December. The ruling was made Monday by a Court docket of Arbitration for Sport panel sitting on the Olympics. The 15-year-old Valieva is the favourite within the girls’s particular person occasion that begins Tuesday and already captured gold when the Russian athletes competing as ROC, brief for Russian Olympic Committee, gained the crew occasion final week.
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“The panel thought of that stopping the athlete to compete on the Olympic Video games would trigger her irreparable hurt within the circumstances … We might not have this case and I’d not be right here if these anti-doping take a look at procedures would have been accomplished in a single week or 10 days as it’s typically the case for instance on the Olympic Video games.” — Court docket of Arbitration for Sport Director Common Matthieu Reeb.
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“I strongly disagree with this choice. On the finish of the day, there was a optimistic take a look at and there’s no query in my thoughts that she shouldn’t be allowed to compete. No matter age or timing of the take a look at (and) outcomes. I imagine this can depart a everlasting scar on our sport.” — 1998 Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski, now a determine skating analyst for NBC’s protection of the Beijing Video games.
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“Kamila, we’re with you!” — Billboards posted round Moscow on the eve of the ruling.
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“We’re upset by the message this choice sends. It’s the collective accountability of your entire Olympic neighborhood to guard the integrity of sport and to carry our athletes, coaches and all concerned to the best requirements. Athletes have the best to know they’re competing on a stage taking part in area. Sadly, at the moment that proper is being denied. This seems to be one other chapter within the systemic and pervasive disregard for clear sport by Russia. We all know this case shouldn’t be but closed and we name on everybody within the Olympic motion to proceed to combat for clear sport on behalf of athletes world wide.” — U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland.
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“The essential problem arises of what sort of high-performance sport we truly need to have. This present case strengthens our conviction that younger athletes needs to be given time. Humane high-performance sports activities can’t make huge calls for too early.” — German Olympic Sports activities Confederation president Thomas Weikert.
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“This woman, one of many brightest phenomena in determine skating in current instances, has confronted a reasonably severe psychological ordeal, stress, a burden … She didn’t know till the final minute what was happening. We’re happy with this CAS choice, grateful for the honest ruling by which frequent sense has prevailed.” — Russian Determine Skating Federation CEO Alexander Kogan to the Tass state information company.
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“Go Kamila!” — Russian ice dancer and fellow crew occasion gold medal winner Nikita Katsalapov.
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Extra AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports