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Original poster

What's really going on with the Russian Ice Dancer, Kamila Valieva?

115 replies

SuperSange · 11/02/2022 15:38

She apparently failed a drug test, sample taken on Dec 25th, and the results weren't reported until Tuesday. She's had several negative tests since, but why wait until now to report? Someone is up to something, but I can't find out what. I'd like to think they'd not be stupid enough to be doping (hence the ROC team as Russia were banned), so it's stinking of fish to me. Added to which, she's only 15, so are her coaches her guardians or something?

OP posts:

viques · 14/02/2022 11:30

@Phos

Well she, and the ROC, have got away with it haven't they. I'd like to know more about why she's considered a "protected person"

Essentially this decision gives her and the rest of the ROC to dope away.

And also now brings the doping doubts back on all ROC athletes. Taints their achievements, angers the athletes from other countries who believe they might have achieved medals or better placements.

The only way to beat drugs in sports is to stamp it out without fear or favour. And sadly for vulnerable 15 year old athletes tricked into taking illegal medication that means you too.

Phos · 14/02/2022 12:24

@viques

Sadly I agree. I'm not sure if the protected person status is to do with her age? If so then this decision could lead to Russia or even other nations deciding to dope their youngsters because it's seen as easy to wriggle out of it.

Leftbutcameback · 14/02/2022 12:37

The delay in the result (which only came after she won the medal last week) was apparently because the test wasn't flagged as high priority with the Scandinavian lab it was sent to. The test was taken at the championships on Xmas day which I think she won. I think we can all work out why it wasn't marked as being high-priority.

She was such a beautiful elegant skater to watch last week and I feel very sorry for her.

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General sports

HighburyHope · 14/02/2022 12:43

[quote mumsiedarlingrevolta]@edwinbear I also think there are very different philosophies in different sports- DS sport had very very little doping-but there is no money in it really so sadly that is a pressure point as they get older.

there is a dreadful story (I think true but could be urban myth) of a uk athlete-years ago-who bought an OTC medication in US that is fine in the UK but the US has different ingredients and he failed drug test.

FYI there is a website that you can type medication and it will tell you if it is ok-things like inhalers etc

Good luck![/quote]
Not an urban myth! He lost his bronze medal as a result (Alain Baxter, slalom, 2002 Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City).

GrouchyKiwi · 14/02/2022 13:12

I feel very sorry for her too, but Russia is never going to stop doing this if CAS etc let them away with it, which is what they're doing.

It's not fair to the other athletes.

girafferafferaffe · 14/02/2022 19:48

I am very disappointed for all the other athletes who will miss out on their medal ceremony because of this farce. Unbelievable!!

user1471517095 · 14/02/2022 20:22

It's getting to the point that that athletes must be wondering why they bother? What is the point of winning if you know you cheated to get that medal.

mumsiedarlingrevolta · 14/02/2022 20:23

@HighburyHope thanks so much for that!! think it was an olbas oil sort of thing-absolutely devastating and def scared the bejesus out of DS.

And agree devastating example for other athletes etc-I want to be clear I feel very sorry for the individual athlete here but it is bigger than that.

if an athlete is old enough to go to the olympics then they are old enough to be held to a no doping standard.

I feel the Olympics are completely tarnished and everyone now knows that cheating not only happens but is allowed-devastating for the other competitors.

Sharron Davies (former olympic swimmer) is a fantastic and brave re speaking out about fairness in competition-she may be getting a retrospective Gold from 1980 olympics due to doping but she has been forever robbed of her moment. Due to cheats.

FaoinDrualus · 14/02/2022 20:24

The CAS decision is completely wrong - if she was an adult, she wouldnt be allowed to skate tomorrow. Its unfair on the other skaters and gives the message that its somehow ok to drug kids, you might get away with it.
They also should raise the age of competing at the olympics to 18 in all sports. Chloe Kim has spoken a lot about the pressure she was under leading to depression and anxiety - and she won, so the attention was positive - unlike Kamila who will have this controversy hanging over her for years.

girafferafferaffe · 14/02/2022 20:36

I mean Russia has basically got away with it entirely. And continued doing it - not giving a shit whether it's fair or not. Kamila is an amazing skater but is she that good because of her advantage? I would be so unhappy to compete against her.

SummaLuvin · 14/02/2022 20:52

Her coach is definitely abusive, she has referred to her club as a factory, and her skaters as materials.

Valieva, and the others coming from the same coach, have bad technique which leads to injury in their backs and ankles which, along which excessive overtraining, and starvation, means they are burned out and too injured to continue at 17/18, Eteri herself doesn’t expect them to continue beyond then. One of her students, one year too young for this Olympics, has spoken about how devastated she is the Olympics weren’t postponed, because by 2026 she will be 18 and unable to compete at the required level.

The jumping technique they train with, not only causes injury, but also relies on weight and speed ratio, not strength. So when the skaters get older and grow they can no longer compete the jumps as the skills are not transferable to their new height, they would have to learn to jump again with the proper technique to continue.

A previous prodigy, now retired, has a significant back injury where it is fused into a permanent twist in the direction of her jumping rotation - she is 22 and will have to live with the pain and complications for the rest of her life. Her coaches don’t care, she was replaceable with new young faces, just like Valieva.

girafferafferaffe · 14/02/2022 20:58

@SummaLuvin fascinating. Sounds horrendous. I did think that the Russian skaters looked incredibly thin compared to the other skaters.

ABitBesottedWithMyDog · 14/02/2022 21:03

Her coach is that awful Georgian woman with the frizzy hair who coached Lipnitskaya, isn't she?

She just treats these kids like toys and discards them when they're broken. One of her quadruple jump girls had to retire in a wheelchair this year. A teenager.

Original poster

SuperSange · 15/02/2022 06:04

Wasn't the whole reason for the creation of the ROC team so they could leave the whole state doping thing behind? Perhaps it's just too insidious and they should be barred from competition totally. Or have siping tests at the start of every competition. It's the only way. I've not watched any of it since this test came to light, there's no point if the playing field isn't even.

OP posts:

Southerngal5 · 15/02/2022 06:32

The other 2 Russians skating tomo Scherbakova & Trusova are also coached by Eteri so whatever happens will also put the spotlight on them... Anna in my opinion looks especially frail... I'm not sure if Kamila will be in the top 3, her training sessions haven't looked great since the doping news broke & the eyes of the world are on her... The poor child, I can't imagine what's she's going through, shes over there with her monster coach & 2 male assistant coaches (also tough operators) without her parents... She needs support.

ABitBesottedWithMyDog · 15/02/2022 06:53

She'll place. She was THAT much better in the team event skate. The other skaters behind her had marks of 75ish and she cracked 100. It's the quality of her skating and the difficulty of her elements. The quad jumps alone earn 50million points each, and no one else female is doing them.

I'm aching for her. She looks like a fragile colt on the ice.

FloBot7 · 15/02/2022 07:13

I'm quite disappointed they've let her continue. I feel sorry for her because she's a child and isn't in a position to stand up to the adults around her but by letting her continue it gives them the green light to drug the next generation. They don't care about the long term effects of drugs and heavy training on teenage girls. They'll just find another when she's burnt out.

gigantaraffe · 15/02/2022 08:17

I just don't think they should let Russia compete anymore until they stop doping.

toastofthetown · 15/02/2022 08:23

Letting Kamila Valieva skate is hugely irresponsible. It will only result in more hurt for her, whatever happens. But if anyone actually cared about protecting her, and not just winning more medals, she wouldn’t be in this position in the first place.

formalineadeline · 15/02/2022 08:41

This should mark the beginning of the end of children competing at the Olympics.

Allowing children to compete leaves children open to abuse and exploitation - not just those we eventually see competing, but all those who went through the pipeline and were damaged or cast aside in the quest for the next 'star' to bring glory on whichever nation.

It would also address the points raised by pp about children being used because they're lighter and can be cajoled into doing more extreme things than an adult etc.

If the Olympics was about sport and valuing the disciplines, rather than an international pissing contest. Which is probably why nothing can change and we'll continue to be presented with abused children on our screens.

formalineadeline · 15/02/2022 08:44

@user1471517095

It's getting to the point that that athletes must be wondering why they bother? What is the point of winning if you know you cheated to get that medal.

Russian culture is different. The status of athletes and medal winners is something else - it's like a service for your nation, showing the world how wonderful your state is.

It's not about individual internal satisfaction in the way it is in our culture (albeit with added celebrity status for some).

Hasselhoffsheadband · 15/02/2022 08:59

It says on BBC news that they are now saying that the failed drugs test was because there was 'contamination' with medication her grandad was taking?

sashh · 15/02/2022 09:06

@WeAreTheHeroes

One way to counter some of this exploitation would be to raise the age at which people can compete in international competition. We saw her winning performance the other day and I remarked how slender she was, not knowing the background.

I agree, they did this with gymnastics, in the 1970s and 1980s female gymnasts would be lucky to compete in 2 Olympic games, now you see gymnasts in their 30s.

But there are still controversies because junior gymnasts do the same training and have the same skills as seniors.

ABitBesottedWithMyDog · 15/02/2022 10:06

This should mark the beginning of the end of children competing at the Olympics.

Ah, no. Those enthusiastic 13-year-old girls who won medals in skateboarding made the Tokyo Olympics IMO.

There doesn't need to be a blanket ban, but there should be far more scrutiny of their coaches.

viques · 15/02/2022 10:45

@Hasselhoffsheadband

It says on BBC news that they are now saying that the failed drugs test was because there was 'contamination' with medication her grandad was taking?

I think there is as much chance of that being true as a pig on skates being able to do a quadruple thingy. Poor kid, they drug her then make her tell lies.

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