Russia’s Beijing 2022 gold medals on the rocks over 15-year-old Kamila Valieva’s extraordinary doping saga

The IOC is blaming “legal issues” for a two-day delay in awarding the medals for the team figure skating competition at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

The ceremony to award the Russian team the gold medals, the United States silver and Japan bronze was pulled from its scheduled slot late on Tuesday.

Reporters asked the Kremlin about the issue on Wednesday, amid speculation that the gold medals won by six Russian skaters could be at risk.

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“Let’s, for the sake of understanding, wait for some explanations either from our sports officials or from the IOC,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams earlier cited “legal consultation” that was needed with the governing body of skating.

Details of the case were not specified, although it could involve suspected athlete ineligibility or a doping rules violation.

“We have athletes that have won medals involved,” Adams said at the daily news briefing.

The team event was contested over three days between Friday and Monday.

The standout performance was 15-year-old Russian skater Kamila Valieva, becoming the first female skater to land a quad jump at an Olympics.

Multiple reports say the teenager is at the centre of the saga, which is complicated by her age as it relates to the World Anti-Doping Agency code.

Athletes under the age of 16 cannot be named by officials if guilty of doping.

Valieva’s issue reportedly stems from a test undertaken prior to Beijing 2022, with Russian media claiming she had tested positive for the prohibited substance Trimetazidine.

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