2022 Olympics: Ex-Olympian Adam Rippon rips 'those in charge' for putting Kamila Valieva 'in this awful situation'
Former Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon came to 2022 Olympian Kamila Valieva's defense on Friday, after it was revealed the Russian athlete tested positive for a banned substance weeks before the Beijing Games began.
"This entire situation is heartbreaking," Rippon wrote on Twitter. "This young girl is just 15. She's a minor. The adults around her have completely failed her. They've put her in this awful situation and should be punished."
"I blame those in charge," he continued.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On Friday, the International Testing Agency confirmed Valieva had tested positive for trimetazidine, a drug commonly used to treat angina that can also improve endurance, reports CNN and The New York Times. A Swedish lab apparently found the banned substance in a sample taken from Valieva on Dec. 25, but — for reasons currently unknown — only reported the positive result on Feb. 8. The Russian anti-doping agency claims Valieva tested negative before and after the Dec. 25 sample.
"A positive test is a positive test," Rippon continued on Friday. "Testing negative now doesn't negate the fact that there were performance enhancing drugs involved in the process. It's a f--king shame. It didn't need to come to this. SHE IS A CHILD."
"The ROC has miserably failed its athletes and embarrassed themselves on the world stage YET AGAIN. My heart breaks for the Russian athletes competing in Beijing who will have everything they do at this Olympics questioned."
The fate of Valieva's team gold and her continued eligibility in the Games is not yet clear.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Shopping trolleys: the new must-have accessory
Speed Read Sales are soaring as new designs help shed that old-fashioned image
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
5 ways to help the environment while on vacation
The Week Recommends An afternoon of planting trees could be the best part of your trip
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Doctors are taking on dental duties in low-income areas
Under the radar Physicians are biting into the dentistry industry
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Caitlin Clark the No. 1 pick in bullish WNBA Draft
Speed Read As expected, she went to the Indiana Fever
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
South Carolina ends perfect season with NCAA title
Speed Read The women's basketball team won a victory over superstar Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Iowa's Caitlin Clark breaks NCAA scoring record
speed read College basketball star Caitlin Clark set the new record in Iowa's defeat of Ohio State
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Eight-year-old Brit Bodhana Sivanandan makes chess history
Speed Read Sivanandan has been described as a 'phenomenon' by chess masters
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Watch Simone Biles win her record 8th US gymnastics championship
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Spain beats England 1-0 to win its first Women's World Cup
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
US knocked out of Women's World Cup in stunning exit
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Katie Ledecky surpasses Michael Phelps for most world championship titles
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published