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The headline tells us why we are here. Did Team USA add to the drama of the 2022 Winter Olympics by walking out as Kamila Valieva prepared to perform in the individual free program? Did Valieva spot this before her tragic performance, and could it have contributed to what happened in the free program? Time for a figure skating fact check.
Facts
Fact Check: True. Yes, ABC News reported that Team USA members walked out before Kamila Valieva’s free program performance in the individual round of the competition. The names of the Team USA members who walked out were not reported. Team USA’s walkout occurred after Anna Shcherbakova’s stunning free program, which won her the Olympic gold medal.
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As figure skaters immediately take the ice to warm up after the previous competitor, it is tough to imagine Kamila Valieva missing Team USA’s protest. Team USA’s decision to walk out came on the heels of Team USA’s silver medal finish behind Russia in the Team Event.
Context
News of Kamila Valieva’s adverse test from the 2022 Russian National Championships emerging right after Russia’s victory plunged the medal order into uncertainty. It did not seem to dawn on Team USA (or the media) that Valieva’s teammates, Anna Shcherbakova and Sasha Trusova, were equally capable of coming in first in the ladies’ event. Regardless, fans of Team USA have insisted they are entitled to the gold medal.
Team USA’s walkout did not solely serve as a protest against Kamila Valieva. It also marked a protest to CAS’ (sport’s Supreme Court) ruling that Valieva should be allowed to compete despite the revelation of her adverse drug test. The world will recall that two billionths of a gram of TMZ (trimetazidine). It should have taken 20 days to process the results. In this case, it took WADA - 40.
Kamila Valieva never tested positive before or since, including at the 2022 Winter Olympics or any other international competition. Regardless of CAS noting that background and so much more in its decision, Team USA did not respect the ruling. Nor did they show respect for those who ruled after a grueling look at the pertinent facts. (Read the full verdict here)
More Facts
No member of Team USA’s ladies’ figure skating team was a favorite to land on the 2022 Olympic podium. Recent retiree, Alysa Liu, was Team USA’s best shot at a top-five finish. Liu ended up taking seventh place while compatriot, Mariah Bell, earned a tenth place finish. Karen Chen, who represented the USA in the Team Event, took sixteenth place.
It is unclear who from Team USA participated in the walkout. In attendance in Team USA’s zone during Alysa Liu’s free program were ice dancers galore, including Adrian Diaz and Olivia Smart, who represented Spain in ice dance. Diaz’s fiancé and 2022 Olympic ice dance bronze medalist, Madison Hubbell, was also present. They were joined by Hubbell’s teammates, 2022 U.S. National Champions -- Evan Bates and Madison Chock -- and Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker.
Related: Fact Check: Wait, Is Nathan Chen Retiring From Figure Skating?
It is important to reiterate that the specific members of Team USA who walked out were not identified by the media. Therefore, those named above may not have been the ones to leave. The report was vague, and if all members of Team USA got up, you would think that would be stated. Unfortunately, there are no clear answers. So, it is fair to assume those mentioned above are innocent of protesting until proven otherwise.
On a related note, Team USA’s protest was not largely covered or allowed to brew any controversy in the media. The public was left largely unaware of the walkout aside from a side note blurb. It did not generate major headlines, and not many people have critically discussed it. (If they have, please leave a comment with the link below.) Well, this seems like the time and the place to have that discussion.
Analysis
It is unclear if Kamila Valieva noticed Team USA’s exodus. The weight of the world was on Valieva’s shoulders. So, it is possible to imagine her tunnel-like focus was on the ice and the rink alone - not what was happening in the stands. What makes this somewhat hard to believe is how shaken Valieva appeared before her free program began.
Related: What Should The New ISU Age Limit (Really) Be To Protect Figure Skaters?
Spectators saw a far cry from the steelier Kamila Valieva from the short program. The decision for Team USA to walk out was a moment as loud as it was silent. The Team USA athletes who participated in the walkout on Valieva should have been sanctioned for it. It is unsportsmanlike conduct, period. Would any other country have gotten away with such an action? It does not seem very likely.
As a fan of many of the members of Team USA, reports of a protest were disheartening to read. To imagine that Team USA would choose to protest Kamila Valieva amid her medal-deciding performance is deeply troubling. Whatever they thought of CAS’ ruling, they chose to take their frustration out on 15-year-old Valieva, and that is unacceptable, period.
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