LAUSANNE: Despite Kamila Valieva’s disqualification in a doping case, her Russian figure skating team will still be awarded bronze medals from the 2022 Beijing Olympics, as confirmed by the sport’s governing body on Tuesday.
The United States has claimed the new Olympic championship title, with Japan now upgraded to silver from bronze. However, the demoted Russian team secure bronze by a mere single point ahead of fourth-placed Canada.
The International Skating Union has revised the points table from the Beijing competition, deducting Valieva’s maximum 10 points from each of her two events but not redistributing them to the teams below her.
Consequently, Canada maintains eight points out of 10 from both the women’s short program and free skate sections, where Japan trailed Valieva in second place each time. Despite this, Canada’s overall points total remains at 53, while the Russians’ tally drops from 74 to 54 — still sufficient for them to claim the bronze medals, which Valieva will not receive.
“The ISU is in close contact with the International Olympic Committee and the relevant ISU member federations in regard to the implementation of this decision,” the governing body said.
