Due to Russia?s Mistake, US Athletes Still Deprived of Their Olympic Medal 500 Days After Winning: ?Shocking Lack of Transparency?

It has been over 500 days since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics concluded, and it was a good year for the U.S.A., as the country clinched 4th overall in the medals tally with a total of 25 Olympic medals. With their almost perfectly choreographed display, the U.S. team finished just behind the Russians, and left fans spellbound by taking home a silver medal.

But surprisingly they never actually received their medals. For the very first time in Olympics history, a team was not awarded with their medals on the Olympic podium. Despite the athletes piercing through the frosty air with their impeccable skills, they still yearn for their hard-earned medals. Why is the International Olympic Committee still withholding the ultimate reward for these athletes – their coveted medals?

Why the wait?

After Team USA and the Russian team secured their respective positions, the medal ceremony was postponed. The whole fiasco folded out because the 15-year-old Russian athlete Kamila Valieva had tested positive for a banned substance, after an investigation by the IOC. Following the revelation, the results are now subject to a legal process that is still ongoing after 500 days. However, if the doping charges are upheld, it could mean an elevation to a gold medal for Team USA.

While anxiously awaiting their medals, US Olympians Vincent Zhou, Brandon Frazier, and Alexa Knierim spoke to Today. Looking back at the incident, Zhou said,?“It felt like a sting on the history of figure skating and the Olympics.” He added further, “It reflects poorly on the integrity of sport in the Olympics in general. There’s been a shocking lack of transparency and communication, not just to the public, but to the athletes themselves.”

In the wake of this, the International Olympic Committee, which always adheres to acknowledge athletes’ grievances, is now expected to work in sync with the World Anti-Doping Agency to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

What lies ahead for the US Figure Skating Team?

Better the start of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, it was reported that in December 2021, Kamila Valieva had tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart medication that comes under the banned substances category. Hence, the matter became a subject of scrutiny. Therefore, in order to protect athletes’ physical and mental health, the International Skating Union voted to increase the age from 15 to 17 for senior skaters.

Read More – Russian Teenager Who Put US Team?s Olympic Medal On Hold In Beijing Might Face A Huge Setback In Her Career

Russia’s own anti-doping body, RUSDSA intervened and denied that any wrongdoing had taken place on the teen’s part. This was followed by an appeal by WADA, due to which the case now is in the Court of Arbitration of Sport. The CAS has now announced that the case will be heard in Switzerland from September 26 to September 29 and it will be a closed-door hearing. The question remains whether the U.S. athletes will finally receive their long-awaited medals or will they have to wait an eternity for their long overdue recognition.

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