‘Screwed This Up’: Fans Furious Over International Olympic Committee Barring US Athlete’s Snowboard But Allowing Kamila Valieva’s Appearance Despite Positive Test at Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

The Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 will now end in just four days. However, controversy continues in Beijing over several issues.

Lately, the inclusion of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was a point of contention across the world. Valieva had failed a drug screening. However, the International Olympic Committee had allowed her to go ahead and compete in figure skating.

Moreover, now, it is American snowboarder Julia Marino who is at the center of another controversy. This time, the International Olympic Committee barred her from using her snowboard with luxury brand Prada’s name on it.

Fans react to Julia Marino’s Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 controversy

Julia Marino just won the Olympic silver medal in the women’s slopestyle event. In fact, the board that she used for her silver-victory run was the same one the International Olympic Committee banned.

Thus, fans all over the world are in an uproar. They have taken to Twitter to call out the apparent double standards of the IOC. Fans are comparing the situation to that of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva.

Sports reporter David Epstein pointed out how the IOC’s motto is “making up rules as we go”.

Valieva tested positive for a banned substance. However, she still went ahead and competed in figure skating at the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. Consequently, fans across the globe are furious about Valieva competing despite failing a drug screening, and the IOC drawing the line at a mere snowboard.

Moreover, the pressure from the IOC also forced Julia Marino to withdraw from her big air event. Thus, fans have reacted negatively to the entire situation, expressing their disagreement in Tweets.

One fan wondered out loud “what on earth was the IOC thinking,” allowing Valieva to compete despite a positive drug test, while on the other hand barring Marino to compete with a Prada board.

Then, there were those who opined that Marino did push the rules with ‘Prada’ printed on her Olympic board. However, another fan was quick to respond, pointing out how the IOC already allowed her to compete and win a silver medal on that board just a few days earlier. “The IOC screwed this up, not her,” they wrote.

https://twitter.com/MPsLife/status/1494025994990088192

Another fan tweeted in defense of Julia, calling out the contrasting judgments between the cases of Julia and Kamila.

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“Why did the IOC let her use it in the slopestyle in the first place?” a fan asked on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/Erin077/status/1494085526852452359

Fans are upset over the entire Olympic experience

Moreover, one fan stated that the IOC is “ruining the lives of young athletes who have dedicated their entire lives to the Olympics”. Then, they also stated that the committee has “ruined the Olympic experience”.

Similarly, another fan complained about how they would no longer watch the Olympics. “Everything about the Olympics feels wrong to me,” they tweeted. Among their gripes with the Beijing Winter Olympics, they stated that “most of all, IOC’s pure arrogance” was their biggest issue.

What are your opinions on the issue? Do you think Julia Marino should not have sported a Prada board in the first place? Or do you concur with fans when they call out the apparent double standards?

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