Winter Olympics 2022 - IOC remains tight-lipped following team figure skating medal ceremony delay

The IOC said on Thursday it would not comment on the ongoing “legal issue” surrounding the continued delay of the medal ceremony for the team figure skating in Beijing. AP, Reuters and others named 15-year-old Russian superstar Kamila Valieva as central to the delay.

Ad/> The official medal ceremony should have taken place on Tuesday evening, but it was delayed due to “legal consultations” required with the governing body of skating. Beijing 2022Chen wins figure skating gold after Yuzuru falls attempting quad axelAN HOUR AGO Numerous reports named Valieva as being at the centre of the hold up after testing positive for a banned substance in January, but director of communications, Mark Adams, reiterated the IOC’s position on the matter on Thursday, saying he would not be commenting on the case.

“I am not going to comment on speculation that I have seen overnight,” began Adams. “We had a situation arise yesterday that had legal implications and I am not going to comment on a legal case from the podium of a press conference because it would not be appropriate." AP added that Valieva was at practice as normal on Thursday ahead of the individual competition.

Speculation has mounted on the details of the legal issue but – following overnight reports that the case may have involved a doping violation – Adams was reluctant to be drawn further. “On the wider issue you said of a potential doping case,” he continued.