Skate Canada wants voice heard in continued pursuit of 2022 Olympic bronze medal
High performance director 'mystified' at recalculation of team event after Valieva DQ
Canada's fight for a 2022 Olympic figure skating bronze medal is far from over.
High performance director Mike Slipchuk and other Skate Canada executives want clarity on why Canada remained in fourth place behind Russia after Monday's decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to disqualify Russian athlete Kamila Valieva for doping at the Winter Games in Beijing.
Russia was stripped of the gold medal in the team event and dropped to bronze behind the United States and Japan. It lost a combined 20 points from Valieva's victories in the short and long programs and finished with 54, one point ahead of Canada. However, the International Skating Union neglected to add an extra point to the teams below Russia on Tuesday when it published the amended standings.
Under this scenario, Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., should have had her point total raised by one in each of the programs for placing second instead of third following Valieva's disqualification, thus vaulting Canada into bronze-medal position.
On Wednesday morning, Slipchuk told Heather Hiscox of CBC News Network the ISU isn't following its rules. He noted while Schizas has been moved to second place, she is still being credited with third-place points and not the extra two to reflect her new standing.
"It's the difference of a medal. Russia still earned two points off a disqualification," Slipchuk said, with a wry smile. "With disqualifications, everybody moves up [a placement]. For some reason, [the ISU] chose not to do that this time.
"The rules of the rule book trump everything. How did this happen? Why has this happened? Everyone's a bit mystified how this has occurred. We're going to fight for what we feel is right."
Slipchuk pointed out the other athletes moved up one placement when Valieva was disqualified from her title win at the 2022 European championships.
The final decision on awarding medals is for the International Olympic Committee, which the ISU said was consulted before amending the results as the event organizer.
"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 Tuesday.
Also Tuesday, Skate Canada said it would consider all options to appeal Monday's decision. Slipchuk told Hiscox the national governing body for figure skating is currently gathering information and would proceed with "next steps" but didn't elaborate.
WATCH | Skate Canada's Mike Slipchuk wants clarity on 2022 Olympic medal decision:
Canadians focused on Four Continents event
A Canadian appeal to Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland could extend the case another year.
"I'm hopeful this process will move faster," Slipchuk said. "We're going to make sure our voice is heard and we get clarity on why things have been done."
Canada's Olympic skaters have been professional, he added, and are focused on competing at the Four Continents championships this week in Shanghai.
Schizas, who captured a silver medal earlier this month at the Canadian championships in Calgary, said she is disappointed at Canada not being upgraded to Olympic bronze but happy the team is "one step closer to closure."
WATCH | Canada remains off Olympic team event podium after Valieva DQ:
In the Olympic team event, Canadian ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier were fourth in rhythm dance and third in the free dance. Later, they were seventh in the ice dance competition.
Poirier was pleased with the decision to disqualify Valieva as it "promotes and values clean sport," which he and Gilles stand behind.
Added Gilles: "We're so happy the U.S., finally, get the medal they deserve, and same with Japan. For us, this is a [potential] bonus medal. We're going to let Skate Canada handle it."
Kirsten Moore-Towers, Michael Marinaro, Eric Radford and Vanessa James were the other Canadian team members in Beijing along with Roman Sadovsky, a last-minute replacement for Keegan Messing.
The International Olympic Committee executive board will meet March 19-21 in Lausanne when Canada is hosting the figure skating world championships in Montreal.
WATCH | Gilles, Poirier skate to 2024 Canadian ice dance title:
With files from The Associated Press
