IOC's Dick Pound says decision to allow Russian skater to compete is 'safest,' 'fairest' way to handle it
Russian figure skater being allowed to compete has caused frustration among athletes
Canada's Richard Pound, a senior member of the International Olympic Committee, said the decision to allow Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva to continue at the Beijing Olympics despite a positive drug test is "messy" but fair.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport cleared Valieva to skate after a hearing on Sunday. A panel of judges ruled that the 15-year-old Valieva, the favourite for the women's individual gold, does not need to be provisionally suspended ahead of a full investigation.
The court gave her a favourable decision in part because she is a minor, known in Olympic jargon as a "protected person," and is subject to different rules from an adult athlete.
"It's sort of messy but I think in the end, it's probably the safest and the fairest way of dealing with this," Pound told CBC Sports on The Extra Hour show. "It hasn't been determined whether or not it's a full-blown positive, until that happens. It would be wrong to penalize her and probably wrong to keep her from competing because she hasn't actually got a positive test."
Valieva tested positive for the heart drug trimetazidine on Dec. 25 at the Russian nationals, but the result from a Swedish lab didn't come to light until a week ago, after she helped the Russian Olympic Committee win the team gold. A second sample, or B sample, will now be analyzed before a final determination is made.
As part of the ruling, the IOC said there would be no medal ceremony for the team event, nor for the upcoming women's singles if she finishes in the top three.
Pound admitted that is disappointing for the athletes.
"On the day, it's a big deal. The IOC is conscious of that and as you could see in its statement, we'll find a way to give the final medallists their due and the ceremony that will be, not the same as race day or game day, but appropriate," said Pound, an Olympic swimmer for Canada at the 1960 Games in Rome.
WATCH | Kamila Valieva cleared by CAS to continue competition in Beijing:
If it's ruled Valieva is ineligible, Russia would be disqualified from the team event, bumping Canada up from fourth to the bronze medal position, with the U.S. moving into top spot and Japan getting the silver medal.
"There will be no harm done if it turns out she does test positive and they take away the team medal and take away any other medal she's going to win," Pound said. "But if we boot her out, and it turns out it's not really a positive, then we're in deep water and we will have been responsible [for] what would turn out to be a real injustice.
"It's messy and frustrating for her fellow competitors but I think we need to have confidence in the system that we've worked out in the last 20-odd years."
WATCH | Kaetlyn Osmond previews controversial women's figure skating event:
The decision has caused outrage among some former and current athletes as well, including former Canadian figure skater Meagan Duhamel.
How is anyone going to take the women’s event seriously now? We were just told illegal drugs and abuse are okay. If that is what this sport is about now, I want nothing to do with it. <br>February 14 2022. The day the Olympic spirit died.
—@mhjd_85<a href="https://t.co/TCwRxShodz">pic.twitter.com/TCwRxShodz</a>
—@bradie_tennellPound defended the decision, saying it sends a clear message to clean athletes.
"One is that we're serious about trying to clean up doping. Number two is, if it happened to be you that was under suspicion, we would be protecting your rights to go through the process before the lynch mob took over," Pound said. "I think the kind of decisions that need to be made here are best made when you're not angry.
"If you make a mistake [and] you let someone who eventually is found to have tested positive participate, but they'll be disqualified later, [then] the results will be adjusted accordingly. But if you shoot first and you're wrong, what have you done to this 15-year-old girl? You've just destroyed her."
Past investigations, Russian denials
And although Pound does not see the entire situation as having an impact on the integrity of the situation or the Olympic movement, he definitely does not see eye-to-eye with the Russians and how they have handled results of doping investigations.
Pound had led the initial investigation for doping in Russia years back and finds that there is a tendency of denial, and to appeal all decisions made.
"All along, there's been denial, denial, denial, denial — blaming it on politics and the U.S. and whatever else it may be.
"Unrepentant. Every single decision that's been taken involving them has been appealed.They need to cross that bridge and say, 'okay, we've had it wrong, we haven't dealt with it properly, now we're going to really make a serious effort and work our way back into the good books of the international sport community.'"
