Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

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:
Piggy42 · 15/02/2022 10:47

I feel very sorry for her but I think you can’t have it both ways. If she can’t be responsible for being doped, she should t be in the olympics.

DetailMouse · 15/02/2022 13:46

I don't think she should be personally "blamed", that undoubtedly sits with the coaches, but you still can't have drug enhanced athletes at the Olympics so she (and her team) need to be disqualified, regardless of whether the drugs were taken "accidentally".

formalineadeline · 15/02/2022 13:55

They're letting her compete but the medal ceremony won't happen until her case is resolved. She won't necessarily ever receive any medals depending on the outcome of that.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General sports
formalineadeline · 15/02/2022 13:59

@ABitBesottedWithMyDog

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.

Yeh, and there'll be people who felt that watching child gymnasts or figure skaters made their Olympics.

Personally I think it is more important that the hundreds of children continuing to be exploited and abused in the pursuit of Olympic medals are protected.

Wanting to be able to watch a happy kid win a medal doesn't justify other children ending up paralysed, disabled, with eating disorders, or the victims of sexual or other abuse.

DetailMouse · 15/02/2022 14:04

I agree if the rules are different for her because she's a child, she shouldn't be there.

Even if they don't give her the medal, it's rubbish for the athletes who should have had it to have been deprived of their moment.

viques · 15/02/2022 14:24

@formalineadeline

They're letting her compete but the medal ceremony won't happen until her case is resolved. She won't necessarily ever receive any medals depending on the outcome of that.
I am not really bothered if she doesn’t get a medal and misses out on her moment on the podium. I do care about other medal winners who will also miss out on a medal ceremony through no fault of their own , who won’t have the celebratory photographs and videos to show their children and grandchildren in the future, and whose success will always be edged with the thought “what if”.

The ROC officials have such utter disregard for the veracity of sport, the wellbeing of their own athletes and consideration for the feelings of other athletes, they are absolute scum.

gigantaraffe · 15/02/2022 14:33

@viques completely agree with this.

jowly · 15/02/2022 16:01

I feel for this girl. I have to wonder what choice she's had in any of this.. I doubt she knew about the drugs, and isn't responsible for the reporting delays and subsequent controversy. She's been thrust on to the world stage at a really vulnerable age with little regard to her wellbeing. If I was her mother I'd have wanted to take her home by now.

Time for girls to be removed from womens sport imo.

gigantaraffe · 15/02/2022 17:28

Just watched her. She looked like she wanted to cry the whole way round and shook her head when her score came in. Such a shame.

sadpapercourtesan · 15/02/2022 17:32

Not only has she been abused by her coaches, her guardians and her government, she's now being abused further by being put through this ridiculous fucking charade. Having to compete in these circumstances must be horrendous. It's indefensible, the poor kid looks completely devastated. I think this is going to be the last time I watch any figure skating. I stopped watching gymnastics for the same reason.

Enjoyingaquickdip · 15/02/2022 18:25

She looks so unhappy the whole time it's so sad. She's so graceful and elegant but want her to be skating for the love of it not the pressure of the world on her shoulders

Hasselhoffsheadband · 15/02/2022 19:03

I feel so sorry for her, she looks so sad Sad

Saz12 · 15/02/2022 19:39

I don’t think children should be competing at the Olympics at ANY sport. They cannot possibly have a “normal” balanced childhood whilst training for the Olympics. If they’re enthusiastic and talented and doing it out of their own choice, then they’ll still be keen at 18 (or 16), I don’t care if I’ve skaters or gymnasts or skateboarders are “better entertainment” when they’re younger.

Appalonia · 15/02/2022 19:50

I agree, she looked devastated after her skate today. They interviewed an American coach who said that he really would like the women's I've skating to be over 18only so that the coaches would take much better care of the children and teenagers and I totally agree with him.

ABitBesottedWithMyDog · 15/02/2022 20:01

No, the 13-year-old skateboarders weren't better entertainment. They were just plain better than the adult competitors.

Valieva wasn't at her best today. I preferred both Shcherbakova and Sakamoto, bith scintillating.

GrouchyKiwi · 16/02/2022 19:51

Sakamoto was fantastic (I'm just catching up now). I thought Valieva skated with a lot of feeling and preferred her skate of the three Russians. But Kaori was my favourite overall.

SummaLuvin · 16/02/2022 20:02

Sakamoto was a joy to watch. I don't follow figure skating at all, but I understand she's a fan favourite, it's easy to see why. Hoping she medals tomorrow.

ChocolateDigestivesMmmm · 16/02/2022 22:06

@Saz12 I agree, and fans of figure skating have been saying this for years - that the age for Seniors should be raised. Because such young teenagers are allowed to compete in Seniors (and therefore Olympics), it means the older skaters are often at a disadvantage, because developing a woman's figure messes with the ability to jump - and Singles skating is all about the jumps. That's why the Russian girls are (reportedly) given puberty suppressing drugs and many are said to not even have periods at age 18/19.
The girls have a brutal training schedule, a restricted diet and many are home schooled because they have no time for regular school (not that there is anything wrong with homeschooling per se, but in their case it literally means sitting at home with a tutor for a few hours, then back to the rink - no social outings or clubs other than figure skating. No time to socialise with friends). Every minute of their day is micro managed and focused around training.
This then sets the tone for the rest of the world - if one country is training their skaters like this, everyone else who does it more ethically is not going to be able to compete, results-wise.
Figure skating is a brutal sport and there's no money in it at lower levels, it's not like football, for example. So the competition for medals and the standard needed to get them is insane.

DaisyDreaming · 17/02/2022 03:13

I saw that it was found she had 3 different types of heart meds in her system when tested (2 were legal). Heart breaking. Forced to be under weight, delayed puberty, high pressure, constant work and made to take drugs. All for medals

KosherDill · 17/02/2022 03:16

@jowly

I feel for this girl. I have to wonder what choice she's had in any of this.. I doubt she knew about the drugs, and isn't responsible for the reporting delays and subsequent controversy. She's been thrust on to the world stage at a really vulnerable age with little regard to her wellbeing. If I was her mother I'd have wanted to take her home by now.

Time for girls to be removed from womens sport imo.

I agree None under 18.

These kids are little more than enslaved athletes. Thanks

fallfallfall · 17/02/2022 03:35

As a mom (and a skate mom) her size and flexibility is obviously drug enhanced. I agree the age (and age of all sports) needs to be 18.

Iwonder08 · 17/02/2022 03:54

She failed one of the tests and then successfully contested it back then as the presence of restricted ingredient was insignificant on not particularly relevant to this sport and does indeed look like contamination. MOC are complying they were not made aware of this until now.
It is sad that a young athlete is being a victim of a political situation. She is one of a kind and there are a lot of jealous people around

Prescottdanni123 · 17/02/2022 03:58

What is going on is she is a vulnerable, abused child, only 15 years of age.

fallfallfall · 17/02/2022 04:12

She takes a few questionable supplements.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2022/02/16/kamila-valieva-heart-medications/

DaisyDreaming · 17/02/2022 05:01

@Iwonder08 how is jealous? Sure I never got to perform at the Olympics and land a quad jump but I had a non abusive childhood, was able to eat what I wanted and allowed to go through puberty when my body was ready too. I also wasn’t in a psych hospital by 18 like some of the former skaters of that coach have been

Swipe left for the next trending thread