Jump to content

Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Women's singles

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Figure skating women's singles
at the XXIV Olympic Winter Games
Figure skating
VenueCapital Indoor Stadium
Beijing, China
Date15 & 17 February 2022
Competitors30 from 18 nations
Winning score255.95 points
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Anna Shcherbakova  ROC
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Alexandra Trusova  ROC
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Kaori Sakamoto  Japan
← 2018
2026 →
Figure skating at the
2022 Winter Olympics
Qualification
Singlesmenwomen
Pairsmixed
Ice dancemixed
Team eventmixed

The women's singles figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics was held on 15 and 17 February at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova, representing the Russian Olympic Committee, won the gold and silver medals, respectively, while Kaori Sakamoto of Japan won the bronze. The competition was overshadowed by the controversy that arose when it was reported that although Kamila Valieva of Russia had tested positive for a banned substance, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that she be allowed to compete in the event pending a formal outcome of their investigation. Since Valieva originally finished in fourth place, her subsequent disqualification did not affect the awarding of the medals for this event.

Background

[edit]

In 2016, an independent report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirmed allegations that the Russian Olympic team had been involved in a state-sponsored doping program from at least late 2011 through February 2014, when Russia hosted the Winter Olympics in Sochi.[1][2] On 9 December 2019, the WADA banned Russia from all international competitions after it found that data provided by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency had been manipulated by Russian authorities in order to protect athletes involved in its doping scheme.[3] Under a ban imposed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in December 2019, Russian athletes could not use the Russian flag or anthem in international competition and had to compete as "Neutral Athletes" or a "Neutral Team" at any world championships for the next two years.[4] On 19 February 2021, it was announced that Russian athletes would compete under the name of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) at the 2022 Winter Olympics.[5]

The women's singles figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics was held on 15 and 17 February at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China.[6] The three women selected by the Russian Olympic Committee – Kamila Valieva, Anna Shcherbakova, and Alexandra Trusova – were expected to dominate the Olympics.[7] In addition to having won the 2022 European Figure Skating Championships,[8][a] Valieva had dominated the season by winning every competition she entered. She broke the world records in the free skate and overall total at the 2021 Finlandia Trophy, bested those scores at the 2021 Skate Canada International, and then bested them again at the 2021 Rostelecom Cup, where she also set a new world record in the short program. Trusova, known as the "jumping fairy", was the first woman to successfully perform a quadruple Lutz, quadruple toe loop, and quadruple flip in international competition. Shcherbakova had won the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships.[7] Karen Chen of the United States likened women's figure skating to a two-tier competition, with the Russian women competing at levels beyond everyone else.[10]

  1. ^ Kamila Valieva's results from the 2022 European Championships were among the scores later invalidated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 25 December 2021.[9]

Qualification

[edit]
Main article: Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Qualification

Twenty-four quota spots in women's singles were awarded based on the results at the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships.[11] An additional six quota spots were earned at the 2021 Nebelhorn Trophy.[12]

Qualifying nations in women's singles[11][12]
Event Skaters
per NOC 		Qualifying NOCs Total
skaters
2021 World Championships 3  ROC
 Japan 		24
2  United States
 South Korea
1  Belgium
 Austria
 Azerbaijan
 Canada
 Estonia
 Sweden
 Netherlands
 Bulgaria
 Germany
 Georgia
 China
 Czech Republic
 Great Britain
 Finland
2021 Nebelhorn Trophy 1  United States
 Poland
 Belarus
 Switzerland
 Ukraine
 Australia 		6
Total 30

Kamila Valieva controversy

[edit]

The medal ceremony for the team event, originally scheduled for 8 February, was delayed over what International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams described as a situation that required "legal consultation" with the International Skating Union (ISU).[13] Media outlets reported on 9 February that the issue was a positive drug test, administered in December 2021, for trimetazidine by Kamila Valieva,[14][15] which was officially confirmed on 11 February.[16] The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), under suspension from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) since 2015 for hiding the positive doping results of Russian athletes for years,[17][18][19] cleared Valieva to compete on 9 February, a day after the December test results were released. The IOC and the ISU appealed that decision.[20]

On 14 February, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that Valieva be allowed to compete in the individual women's event on grounds that preventing her from competing "would cause her irreparable harm in the circumstances",[21] though her gold medal in the team event was still under consideration. The favorable decision from the Court was made in part due to her age, as minor athletes were subject to different rules than adult athletes.[21][22] As a result, the IOC announced that should Valieva finish in the top three, no medal ceremony would be held until the investigation was over. To allow for the possibility that her results might be disqualified, the IOC asked the ISU to expand the qualifying field for the free skating by one to twenty-five, contingent upon Valieva being one of the top twenty-four skaters to advance to the free skate.[23]

Required performance elements

[edit]

Women performed their short programs on 15 February.[6] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,[24] the short program had to include the following elements: one double or triple Axel; one triple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, or two triple jumps; one flying spin; one layback spin, sideways leaning spin, camel spin, or sit spin without a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and one step sequence using the full ice surface.[25]

The top twenty-five highest scoring skaters after the short program advanced to the free skate, which they performed on 17 February.[6] The free skate could last no more than 4 minutes,[24] and had to include the following: seven jump elements, of which one had to be an Axel-type jump; three spins, of which one had to be a spin combination, one a flying spin, and one a spin with only one position; a step sequence; and a choreographic sequence.[26]

Judging

[edit]
Further information: ISU Judging System

All of the technical elements in any figure skating performance – such as jumps and spins – were assigned a predetermined base point value and then scored by a panel of nine judges on a scale from −5 to 5 based on their quality of execution.[27] The judging panel's Grade of Execution (GOE) was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (the average after discarding the highest and lowest scores), and this GOE was added to the base value to come up with the final score for each element. The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a total elements score.[28] At the same time, the judges evaluated each performance based on five program components – skating skills, transitions, performance, composition, and interpretation of the music – and assigned a score from 0.25 to 10 in 0.25-point increments.[29] The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the following chart; the results were added together to generate a total program component score.[30]

Program component factoring[31]
Discipline Short program Free skate
Women 0.80 1.60

Deductions were applied for certain violations like time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.[32] The total elements score and program component score were added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater.[33]

Results

[edit]
Anna Shcherbakova at the 2022 Russian Championships
Alexandra Trusova at the 2022 Russian Championships
Kaori Sakamoto at the 2022 World Championships
From left to right: The gold, silver, and bronze medalists from the women's event at the 2022 Winter Olympics: Anna Shcherbakova of Russia (gold), Alexandra Trusova of Russia (silver), and Kaori Sakamoto of Japan (bronze)
Code key

Short program

[edit]

Kamila Valieva of Russia originally finished in first place after the short program, scoring 82.16 points despite stumbling on her triple Axel. Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova, also of Russia, finished in second and fourth places, respectively. Kaori Sakamoto of Japan finished in third place.[34] Valieva's results in the competition were eventually voided by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2024.[9]

Although the scandal surrounding Valieva dominated the news cycle, the other skaters focused on their own performances and avoided social media. "It's not easy being here," said Mariah Bell of the United States. "It's a tough situation for everyone."[34] "I concentrated on myself and it didn't matter what was going on around me," commented Olga Mikutina of Austria.[34] "I just wanted to enjoy it and give it everything I had," said Lindsay van Zundert of the Netherlands. "It's just me, my skates, and my program and nothing else."[34] With the possibility that Valieva's score might eventually be stricken, the International Olympic Committee allowed the top twenty-five skaters to advance to the free skate, as opposed to the usual twenty-four.[34]

Women's short program results[35]
Pl. Skater Nation TSS TES PCS SS TR PE CO IN
1 Anna Shcherbakova  ROC 80.20 42.87 37.33 9.14 9.18 9.46 9.43 9.46
2 Kaori Sakamoto  Japan 79.84 43.22 36.62 9.29 8.93 9.21 9.18 9.18
3 Alexandra Trusova  ROC 74.60 40.12 35.48 8.75 8.71 8.96 8.96 8.96
4 Wakaba Higuchi  Japan 73.51 39.53 33.98 8.61 8.25 8.54 8.50 8.57
5 You Young  South Korea 70.34 36.80 33.54 8.43 8.21 8.46 8.46 8.36
6 Loena Hendrickx  Belgium 70.09 36.09 34.00 8.50 8.29 8.43 8.61 8.68
7 Alysa Liu  United States 69.50 36.85 32.65 8.14 8.00 8.32 8.21 8.14
8 Kim Ye-lim  South Korea 67.78 35.27 32.51 8.21 7.96 8.21 8.14 8.11
9 Anastasiia Gubanova  Georgia 65.40 34.43 30.97 7.71 7.50 7.79 7.75 7.96
10 Mariah Bell  United States 65.38 33.43 32.95 8.25 8.07 8.25 8.25 8.36
11 Eliška Březinová  Czech Republic 64.31 35.74 28.57 7.14 6.86 7.29 7.18 7.25
12 Karen Chen  United States 64.11 31.24 33.87 8.50 8.32 8.36 8.61 8.54
13 Nicole Schott  Germany 63.13 33.01 30.12 7.50 7.25 7.61 7.57 7.71
14 Mana Kawabe  Japan 62.69 33.66 30.03 7.75 7.32 7.46 7.54 7.46
15 Ekaterina Ryabova  Azerbaijan 61.82 32.43 29.39 7.36 7.11 7.54 7.36 7.36
16 Viktoriia Safonova  Belarus 61.46 32.72 28.74 7.18 7.04 7.25 7.25 7.21
17 Olga Mikutina  Austria 61.14 32.54 28.60 7.14 6.96 7.32 7.21 7.11
18 Alexia Paganini  Switzerland 61.06 32.03 29.03 7.39 6.96 7.32 7.29 7.32
19 Madeline Schizas  Canada 60.53 29.61 30.92 7.71 7.54 7.75 7.82 7.82
20 Eva-Lotta Kiibus  Estonia 59.55 30.89 29.66 7.32 7.25 7.46 7.46 7.57
21 Lindsay van Zundert  Netherlands 59.24 32.12 27.12 6.71 6.46 7.00 6.86 6.86
22 Alexandra Feigin  Bulgaria 59.16 32.36 26.80 6.64 6.57 6.79 6.79 6.71
23 Ekaterina Kurakova  Poland 59.08 28.42 30.66 7.68 7.36 7.68 7.75 7.86
24 Jenni Saarinen  Finland 56.97 27.79 29.18 7.32 7.04 7.29 7.36 7.46
25 Josefin Taljegård  Sweden 54.51 26.11 28.40 6.68 6.75 7.29 7.32 7.46
26 Zhu Yi  China 53.44 26.37 27.07 6.82 6.61 6.75 6.86 6.79
27 Natasha McKay  Great Britain 52.54 26.20 27.34 6.71 6.71 6.86 7.00 6.89
28 Kailani Craine  Australia 49.93 22.78 27.15 6.86 6.57 6.79 6.82 6.89
29 Anastasiia Shabotova  Ukraine 48.68 24.04 25.64 6.61 6.29 6.25 6.57 6.32
DSQ[36] Kamila Valieva  ROC 82.16 44.51 37.65 9.50 9.29 9.39 9.46 9.43

Free skating

[edit]

Kamila Valieva of Russia, who had been in the lead after the short program, made a series of errors in the free skate that resulted in her finishing in fourth place overall. "That's the most mistakes we've ever seen Kamila make in a free skate," commented Johnny Weir on the NBC broadcast.[37] Coach Eteri Tutberidze could be heard berating Valieva after she left the ice: "Why did you let it go? Explain it to me, why? Why did you stop fighting? You let it go after that Axel. Why?"[38] Anna Shcherbakova of Russia ended up finishing in first place and winning the gold medal, while Alexandra Trusova, also of Russia, finished in second place and Kaori Sakamoto of Japan finished in third. Valieva was in tears, while Trusova could be heard shouting, "I hate this sport; I won't go onto the ice again", in response to not winning a gold medal.[39] Johnny Weir provided translation from Russian to English in real time. "I am not happy with the result," said Trusova. "There is no happiness."[39] Shcherbakova was alone when she learned she had won the gold medal. "You win the Olympics and you can't even celebrate," Weir commented.[39]

Anna Shcherbakova successfully landed both of her quadruple jumps, delivering a clean program that earned her a total of 255.95 points and the gold medal.[39] Alexandra Trusova landed five quadruple jumps, but still finished in second place. She later clarified her displeasure by saying that she was happy with her performance, but not with the judges' scores.[39] Kaori Sakamoto was also crying, but tears of joy. "I don't have the big jumps as others would have, which is a big handicap," said Sakamoto. "That means I had to have perfect elements."[39]

Kamila Valieva's fourth-place results were eventually stricken by the Court of Arbitration for Sport,[9] and all skaters originally placed below her moved up one spot.[40]

Women's free skate results[40]
Pl. Skater Nation TSS TES PCS SS TR PE CO IN
1 Alexandra Trusova  ROC 177.13 106.16 70.97 9.00 8.57 9.07 8.79 8.93
2 Anna Shcherbakova  ROC 175.75 100.49 75.26 9.29 9.18 9.57 9.50 9.50
3 Kaori Sakamoto  Japan 153.29 78.90 74.39 9.46 9.04 9.39 9.32 9.29
4 You Young  South Korea 142.75 74.16 68.59 8.61 8.36 8.71 8.57 8.61
5 Wakaba Higuchi  Japan 140.93 72.67 69.26 8.71 8.46 8.68 8.75 8.68
6 Alysa Liu  United States 139.45 71.95 67.50 8.36 8.29 8.61 8.46 8.46
7 Mariah Bell  United States 136.92 68.25 68.67 8.46 8.39 8.71 8.57 8.79
8 Loena Hendrickx  Belgium 136.70 66.19 70.51 8.71 8.57 8.82 8.93 9.04
9 Anastasiia Gubanova  Georgia 135.58 70.06 65.52 8.14 7.89 8.32 8.29 8.32
10 Kim Ye-lim  South Korea 134.85 68.61 66.24 8.36 8.07 8.32 8.36 8.29
11 Ekaterina Kurakova  Poland 126.76 66.24 60.52 7.57 7.32 7.71 7.61 7.61
12 Viktoriia Safonova  Belarus 123.37 65.54 57.83 7.36 7.07 7.21 7.29 7.21
13 Olga Mikutina  Austria 121.06 61.12 59.94 7.50 7.43 7.46 7.57 7.50
14 Ekaterina Ryabova  Azerbaijan 118.15 59.58 58.57 7.50 7.18 7.39 7.29 7.25
15 Lindsay van Zundert  Netherlands 116.57 61.74 54.83 6.71 6.64 7.07 6.89 6.96
16 Karen Chen  United States 115.82 51.61 65.21 8.32 8.04 7.93 8.29 8.18
17 Madeline Schizas  Canada 115.03 53.68 62.35 7.75 7.61 7.71 7.96 7.93
18 Nicole Schott  Germany 114.52 56.28 60.24 7.61 7.29 7.50 7.64 7.61
19 Eva-Lotta Kiibus  Estonia 112.20 54.27 58.93 7.43 7.11 7.36 7.46 7.46
20 Eliška Březinová  Czech Republic 111.10 54.81 58.29 7.36 7.07 7.25 7.43 7.32
21 Alexia Paganini  Switzerland 107.85 50.01 57.84 7.29 6.96 7.29 7.36 7.25
22 Mana Kawabe  Japan 104.04 47.87 60.17 7.86 7.54 7.25 7.64 7.32
23 Alexandra Feigin  Bulgaria 100.15 49.89 51.26 6.54 6.21 6.46 6.46 6.36
24 Jenni Saarinen  Finland 96.07 45.96 54.11 7.07 6.68 6.46 6.82 6.79
DSQ[41] Kamila Valieva  ROC 141.93 73.31 70.62 9.11 8.89 8.46 9.04 8.64

Overall

[edit]
Women's results[42]
Rank Skater Nation Total SP FS
1st place, gold medalist(s) Anna Shcherbakova  ROC 255.95 1 80.20 2 175.75
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Alexandra Trusova  ROC 251.73 3 74.60 1 177.13
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Kaori Sakamoto  Japan 233.13 2 79.84 3 153.29
4 Wakaba Higuchi  Japan 214.44 4 73.51 5 140.93
5 You Young  South Korea 213.09 5 70.34 4 142.75
6 Alysa Liu  United States 208.95 7 69.50 6 139.45
7 Loena Hendrickx  Belgium 206.79 6 70.09 8 136.70
8 Kim Ye-lim  South Korea 202.63 8 67.78 10 134.85
9 Mariah Bell  United States 202.30 10 65.38 7 136.92
10 Anastasiia Gubanova  Georgia 200.98 9 65.40 9 135.58
11 Ekaterina Kurakova  Poland 185.84 23 59.08 11 126.76
12 Viktoriia Safonova  Belarus 184.83 16 61.46 12 123.37
13 Olga Mikutina  Austria 182.20 17 61.14 13 121.06
14 Ekaterina Ryabova  Azerbaijan 179.97 15 61.82 14 118.15
15 Karen Chen  United States 179.93 12 64.11 16 115.82
16 Nicole Schott  Germany 177.65 13 63.13 18 114.52
17 Lindsay van Zundert  Netherlands 175.81 21 59.24 15 116.57
18 Madeline Schizas  Canada 175.56 19 60.53 17 115.03
19 Eliška Březinová  Czech Republic 175.41 11 64.31 20 111.10
20 Eva-Lotta Kiibus  Estonia 171.75 20 59.55 19 112.20
21 Alexia Paganini  Switzerland 168.91 18 61.06 21 107.85
22 Mana Kawabe  Japan 166.73 14 62.69 22 104.04
23 Alexandra Feigin  Bulgaria 159.31 22 59.16 23 100.15
24 Jenni Saarinen  Finland 153.04 24 56.97 24 96.07
25 Josefin Taljegård  Sweden 54.51 25 54.51 Did not advance
to free skate
26 Zhu Yi  China 53.44 26 53.44
27 Natasha McKay  Great Britain 52.54 27 52.54
28 Kailani Craine  Australia 49.93 28 49.93
29 Anastasiia Shabotova  Ukraine 48.68 29 48.68
DSQ Kamila Valieva  ROC 224.09 DSQ 82.16 DSQ 141.93

Aftermath

[edit]

On 15 February, after the short program, The New York Times reported that Kamila Valieva's sample tested positive for an additional two substances, hypoxen and L-Carnitine, which were not on the list of banned substances, in addition to trimetazidine.[43] The filing by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) indicated that her acknowledgement of having taken the two permitted substances undercut her testimony that the banned substance was ingested by error.[44] In mid-November, the WADA requested that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) take up a review of the case, seeking a four-year suspension of Valieva, which would exclude her from competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics, and disqualify all of her results dating back to the date of her positive drug test (25 December 2021). According to WADA President Witold Bańka, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) did not meet their deadline to deliver a verdict on Valieva's case.[45]

The decision of the CAS to allow Valieva to compete despite her positive test drew backlash across the sporting community and in the media, with some questioning as to whether Russia had been adequately punished for their statewide doping program.[46][47] While the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the Canadian Olympic Committee blasted the decision as a "disappointment" and "extremely unfortunate",[48][49] the Russian Olympic Committee vowed to take "comprehensive measures" to "keep the Olympic gold medal won [from the team event]".[50] Condemnation of the CAS decision also came from former and current figure skaters on social media,[51][52] although several skaters defended Valieva.[53][54] Some commenting on the situation suggested that blame should not rest with the 15-year-old Valieva, but rather with the Russian system and the coaches and doctors around her.[55][56][57] "Let's be kind to the 15-year-old who produced a positive drug test because she lives in an institutionalized system where she was most likely guided and trusted the adults around her," American skater Mirai Nagasu posted on Twitter.[53] Due to Valieva being a minor, both the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency launched investigations into her entourage, which included coach Eteri Tutberidze and team doctor Filipp Shvetsky.[58] The Russian government and community remained steadfast in their support for Valieva. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov first referred to the situation as a "misunderstanding",[57] and later issued the following statement: "We boundlessly and fully support Kamila Valieva and call on everyone to support her.[59] ... And we say to Kamila: Kamila, do not hide your face, you are Russian, walk proudly everywhere and, most importantly, perform and defeat everyone".[57]

On 15 February, after the short program, when asked about Valieva by the media, skaters largely tried to distance themselves from the situation, indicating that they preferred to focus on their own performances. A few athletes made references about supporting "clean sport" and a "level playing field".[34] Some expressed regret that no medal ceremony for the team event would be held.[60] Valieva herself did not speak with reporters or attend the press conference after the short program, where fellow top three finishers Anna Shcherbakova and Kaori Sakamoto also declined to comment.[60] International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman Mark Adams noted that press conferences are not mandatory at the Olympics, and that if Valieva were to medal, they did not expect her to attend that press conference either.[61]

In a press conference the day after the free skate, IOC president Thomas Bach said he was very disturbed by the "chilling atmosphere" surrounding Valieva as Eteri Tutberidze berated her following a mistake-filled performance that resulted in her finishing in fourth place.[62][63] Bach also insinuated that her coaches likely played a role in her positive test, saying that "doping is very rarely done alone with the athletes",[64] and that "the ones who have administered this drug in her body, these are the ones who are guilty."[65] The Kremlin responded that "harshness of a coach in high-level sport is key for their athletes to achieve victories" and that Tutberidze's athletes were seeing strong results.[66] Tutberidze herself claimed to be "at a loss from the assessment of our work by the esteemed Mr Bach".[67] Some Western media outlets pointed to the extreme emotional reactions of the three Russian skaters – Anna Shcherbakova stated that she felt empty inside, Alexandra Trusova could be heard shouting that she "hated the sport" and swore she would never skate again, as she could not understand how she had only finished in second place after performing a record-setting five quadruple jumps, and Valieva broke down sobbing – as further evidence of the extreme pressure they were all under to deliver results, as well as the abuse they were subjected to from their team.[63][38]

Kamila Valiyeva wearing a blue jacket and medal
Kamila Valieva of Russia was suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a period of four years after testing positive for trimetazidine: an anti-doping rule violation. Her results from the 2022 Winter Olympics were stricken.[9]

In January 2023, RUSADA cleared Valieva of any wrongdoing. Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) stated bluntly: "WADA and the ISU [International Skating Union] have to appeal this decision, for the sake of the credibility of the anti-doping system and the rights of all athletes. The world can't possibly accept this self-serving decision by RUSADA, which in the recent past has been a key instrument of Russia's state sponsored doping fraud and is non-compliant. Justice demands a full, fair, public hearing outside of Russia."[68] Tygart criticized both WADA and the ISU for not taking the matter directly to the CAS: "You know, both [WADA and the ISU] could have gone directly to [the CAS], and taken [the decision] out of Russian hands ... Because we knew, you can't have a non-compliant [organization] making a fair, balanced decision."[69] On 29 January 2024, the CAS disqualified Valieva for four years retroactive to 25 December 2021 for the positive test for trimetazidine, which they ruled constituted an anti-doping rule violation.[9] On 30 January 2024, the ISU, among other actions, voided Valieva's fourth-place finish in the women's competition.[70]

At the ISU Congress held in June 2022, members of the ISU Council accepted a proposal to gradually increase the minimum age for senior competition to seventeen beginning with the 2024–2025 season. In order to avoid forcing skaters who had already competed at the senior level to return to the junior level, the age limit remained unchanged during the 2022–2023 season, before increasing to sixteen for the 2023–2024 season, and then seventeen for the 2024–2025 season.[71] Although there had been previous proposals to increase this age limit, the 2022 vote gained traction following the 2022 Winter Olympics, where Kamila Valieva had only been fifteen years old when she competed.[72]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Ruiz, Rebecca R. (9 December 2016). "Russia's doping program laid bare by extensive evidence in report". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 March 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  2. ^ Ruiz, Rebecca R. (18 July 2016). "Russia may face Olympics ban as doping scheme Is confirmed". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 April 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  3. ^ "Russia banned for four years to include 2020 Olympics and 2022 World Cup". BBC News. 9 December 2019. Archived from the original on 31 January 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  4. ^ Dunbar, Graham (17 December 2020). "Russia can't use its name and flag at the next 2 Olympics". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 23 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  5. ^ "Russia to compete under ROC acronym in Tokyo as part of doping sanctions". Reuters. 19 February 2021. Archived from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  6. ^ a b c "Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Competition Schedule Version 9" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 16 June 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 April 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  7. ^ a b Skretta, Dave (12 January 2022). "Russians heavy favorites for Olympic figure skating medals". AP News. Archived from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  8. ^ Goh, ZK (15 January 2022). "Kamila Valieva clinches European figure skating title despite not being at brilliant best". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Kamila Valieva is found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation and sanctioned with a four-year period of ineligibility commencing on 25 december 2021" (PDF). Court of Arbitration for Sport. 29 January 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  10. ^ Hersh, Philip (10 January 2022). "Nathan Chen's performance will be likely measure of U.S. figure skating results at 2022 Winter Olympics". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  11. ^ a b "Communication No. 2388: Entries/Participation 2022 Olympic Winter Games (OWG) – Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance". International Skating Union. 1 April 2021. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Communication No. 2428: Olympic Winter Games 2022 – Entries/Participation Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance". International Skating Union. 28 September 2021. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  13. ^ Dunbar, Graham (9 February 2022). "Olympic medals in team figure skating delayed by legal issue". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  14. ^ Grohmann, Karolos; Kim, Chang-Ran; Tétrault-Farber, Gabrielle (9 February 2022). "Figure skating-Russian gold on hold amid reports of positive drug test". Reuters. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  15. ^ Brennan, Christine (9 February 2022). "Positive drug test by Russian Kamila Valieva has forced a delay of Olympic team medals ceremony". USA Today. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  16. ^ Thompson, Anna (11 February 2022). "Winter Olympics: Kamila Valieva failed drug test confirmed". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  17. ^ Faloyin, Dipo (19 November 2015). "WADA suspends Russia's anti-doping agency". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  18. ^ Ford, Bonnie D. (18 July 2016). "Takeaways from McLaren Report? Confusion, corruption, cynicism". ESPN. Archived from the original on 24 July 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  19. ^ Hendricks, Maggie (18 July 2016). "The damning McLaren Report on Russian Olympic doping, explained". USA Today. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  20. ^ Ritchie, Hannah; Watson, Angus; Regan, Helen (11 February 2022). "Kamila Valieva: Russian anti-doping agency allowed teenage figure skater to compete in Olympics despite failed drug test". CNN. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  21. ^ a b Ellingworth, James; Dunbar, Graham (14 February 2022). "Russian skater can compete, but medal ceremony won't be held". AP News. Archived from the original on 11 February 2025. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  22. ^ "Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 (8) – The CAS Ad Hoc Division declines to impose a provisional suspension on the Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva" (PDF). Court of Arbitration for Sport. 14 February 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  23. ^ "IOC EB decides no medal ceremonies following CAS decision on the case of ROC skater". International Olympic Committee. 14 February 2022. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  24. ^ a b S&P/ID 2021, pp. 75–76.
  25. ^ S&P/ID 2021, pp. 102–103.
  26. ^ S&P/ID 2021, pp. 106–107.
  27. ^ S&P/ID 2021, pp. 77–78.
  28. ^ S&P/ID 2021, pp. 15–16.
  29. ^ S&P/ID 2021, pp. 79–80.
  30. ^ S&P/ID 2021, pp. 16–17.
  31. ^ S&P/ID 2021, p. 17.
  32. ^ S&P/ID 2021, pp. 18–19.
  33. ^ S&P/ID 2021, p. 20.
  34. ^ a b c d e f Diaz, Jaclyn; Mann, Brian; Goldman, Tom (15 February 2022). "Valieva takes No. 1 slot in a figure skating event that's clouded by doping saga". NPR. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  35. ^ "Women Single Skating – Short Program – Result Details". International Skating Union. 15 February 2022. Archived from the original on 13 May 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  36. ^ "Women Single Skating – Short Program – Result Details". International Skating Union. 15 February 2022. Archived from the original on 13 May 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  37. ^ Murphy, Bryan (17 February 2022). "Kamila Valieva stumbles through free skate and fails to medal". NBC Bay Area. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  38. ^ a b Apstein, Stephanie (17 February 2022). "Kamila Valieva's collapse was a fitting end to a controversial Olympics". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  39. ^ a b c d e f Abreu, Danielle (17 February 2022). "Women's free skate ends in tears and drama after shocking Valieva upset". NBC Bay Area. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  40. ^ a b "Women Single Skating – Free Skating". International Skating Union. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 13 May 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  41. ^ "Women Single Skating – Free Skating". International Skating Union. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 13 May 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  42. ^ "2022 Olympic Winter Games – Womens Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 22 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  43. ^ Panja, Tariq (15 February 2022). "Kamila Valieva had three substances that could be used to treat heart conditions in her sample. Only one is banned". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  44. ^ Giambalvo, Emily; Garcia-Roberts, Gus (16 February 2022). "Kamila Valieva acknowledged taking two permitted substances for heart". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  45. ^ "Kamila Valiyeva could be banned through 2026 Winter Olympics". NBC Sports. 14 November 2022. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  46. ^ Rosenberg, Michael (14 February 2022). "Kamila Valieva decision proves IOC lets Russia act as rogue Olympic state". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  47. ^ Wetzel, Dan (14 February 2022). "IOC has effectively cleared the way for Russia to cheat forever". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  48. ^ Yang, Nicole (14 February 2022). "US Olympic Committee calls Kamila Valieva doping case a 'disregard for clean sport by Russia'". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  49. ^ Frisk, Adam (14 February 2022). "Team Canada says decision to allow Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva to compete 'extremely unfortunate'". CTV News. Archived from the original on 21 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  50. ^ Pavitt, Michael (11 February 2022). "ROC taking "comprehensive measures" to keep Olympic gold amid Valieva case". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  51. ^ Cohen, Rebecca (14 February 2022). "Olympic figure skating champion Yuna Kim blasts decision to allow Kamila Valieva to compete after failed doping test". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 21 February 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  52. ^ "Reaction as Kamila Valieva cleared to skate at Olympics". Associated Press. 14 February 2022. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  53. ^ a b "Ruling for Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva's doping case set for Monday". ESPN. Associated Press. 13 February 2022. Archived from the original on 22 February 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  54. ^ Ho, Sally (12 February 2022). "Russia's Davis mum on mom's role in Olympic doping case". AP News. Archived from the original on 22 February 2025. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  55. ^ Abad-Santos, Alex (11 February 2022). "Kamila Valieva failed her drug test. Blame her coaches". Vox. Archived from the original on 15 February 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  56. ^ DiManno, Rosie (14 February 2022). "Kamila Valieva is just the latest in a long line of teenage Russian figure skating sensations". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 7 August 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  57. ^ a b c Strozewski, Zoe (11 February 2022). "Kamila Valieva receives outpouring of support after positive drug test". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  58. ^ Tétrault-Farber, Gabrielle; Nikolskaya, Polina; Cohen, Luc (14 February 2022). "Formidable Russian coach and doctor with doping past in focus over Valieva case". Reuters. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  59. ^ Dunson, DJ (14 February 2022). "Kamila Valieva's saga sets a dangerous precedent for skaters". Deadspin. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  60. ^ a b Elliott, Helene (15 February 2022). "Column: Kamila Valieva's strong short program performance deserves an asterisk". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  61. ^ Shebika, Anton (16 February 2022). "В МОК отреагировали на пропуск Камилой Валиевой пресс-конференции после короткой программы" [The IOC reacted to the fact that Kamila Valieva missed a press conference after the short program]. Championat (in Russian). Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  62. ^ "Kamila Valieva treatment by entourage was 'chilling' says IOC president Thomas Bach at Winter Olympics 2022". TNT Sports. 18 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 April 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  63. ^ a b Ellingsworth, James (17 February 2022). "'I hate this sport!': Rage, teen tears and Olympic collapse". AP News. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  64. ^ Diaz, Jaclyn (18 February 2022). "Olympic Committee leader says he's 'disturbed' by coach's treatment of Kamila Valieva". NPR. Archived from the original on 30 January 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  65. ^ "IOC president Thomas Bach denounces 'tremendous coldness' directed toward Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva after mistake-filled free skate". ESPN. Associated Press. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  66. ^ Grohmann, Karolos (18 February 2022). "Kremlin hits back at Olympic chief's criticism of Valieva coach's "chilling" reaction". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  67. ^ "'At a loss' – Kamila Valieva coach Eteri Tutberidze responds to Thomas Bach 'chilling' comment at Winter Olympics". TNT Sports. 19 February 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  68. ^ Foster, Matt (13 January 2023). "Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva cleared by RUSADA, WADA to review doping decision and consider appeal". CNN. Archived from the original on 11 June 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  69. ^ Goldman, Tom (7 February 2023). "One year later, still no medals in disputed Beijing 2022 Olympic team skating event". NPR. Archived from the original on 14 April 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  70. ^ "ISU Statement – Decision of CAS – Kamila Valieva (ROC)". International Skating Union. 30 January 2024. Archived from the original on 4 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  71. ^ "ISU to raise minimum age for senior competitions to 17". Reuters. 7 June 2022. Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  72. ^ Lloyd, Owen (1 May 2022). "ISU Congress could make 17 minimum age for figure skating as soon as 2024–2025 season". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2025.

Works cited

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Figure_skating_at_the_2022_Winter_Olympics_–_Women%27s_singles&oldid=1343472735"