Legal Matter Delays Figure Skating Medal Ceremony

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Team ROC (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Have you caught Olympic fever yet? I have. And in between rounds of devastation for Mikaela Shiffrin, there’s been stuff to cheer for. Like the return of the Jamaican bobsled team, Shaun White’s final Olympics, and Stefania Constantini’s amazing performance netting Italy its first curling gold medal.

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There was also the breathtaking moment when, standing on the shoulders of Surya Bonaly, Russian ice skater Kamila Valieva became the first woman to land a quad jump in Olympic history during the team competition. In that team competition, the Russian Olympic Committee — not “Russia” since there was that whole massive state-sponsored doping program thing — delivered a dominant performance, with the United States taking silver and Japan the bronze. Though we know the results, the actual, formal medal ceremony has been delayed and it’s all because of a legal matter.

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As reported by NBC News:

But IOC spokesman Mark Adams told a news conference Wednesday that “a situation arose” at short notice which requires a “legal consultation” with the International Skating Union, the governing body of skating. No further information was provided.

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But USA Today reports some more details, namely that an as of yet unidentified member of Team ROC has a positive drug test. You know, the very issue that caused them to be known as the ROC instead of Russia. The members of that team are women’s ice skater Kamila Valieva, 15; men’s competitor Mark Kondratiuk, 18; pairs skaters Anastasia Mishina, 20, and Aleksandr Galliamov, 22; and ice dancers Victoria Sinitsina, 26, and Nikita Katsalapov, 30.

And though Adams would like the legal issue to be resolved, saying, “We have athletes and athletes that have won medals involved. We will be doing our level utmost to make sure it is resolved as quickly as possible.” He’s also a realist, “as you know, legal issues can sometimes drag on.” Which is the most lawyerly response to the entire mess.

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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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Doping, Ice Skating, Olympics, Sports