The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) recently announced its decision to dismiss the appeal from Canadian appellants regarding the reordering of results from the figure skating team event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The controversy arose when Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) athlete Kamila Valieva tested positive for a banned substance, leading to a reshuffling of the medal standings.
Originally, the ROC had claimed the gold medal in the event, with the US and Japan securing silver and bronze, respectively. However, following Valieva's disqualification, the International Skating Union (ISU) reordered the results, awarding the US, Japan, and ROC the Olympic medals in that order, with Canada remaining in fourth place.
Canadian appellants sought to challenge the method used to reorder the results, aiming to secure the bronze medal position. Despite their efforts, the CAS ruling did not award Canada the bronze medal, maintaining the US, Japan, and ROC as the medalists in the event.
In response to the decision, Skate Canada expressed disappointment but emphasized their support for the Canadian athletes, praising their dedication, resilience, and sportsmanship throughout the process. The organization highlighted the athletes' embodiment of the spirit of Canadian figure skating.
Notably, CAS also rejected appeals from the Russian side, which had argued for the ROC team to be reinstated in the gold medal position. The ruling solidifies the revised medal standings from the figure skating team event at the 2022 Winter Olympics, concluding a chapter of controversy and legal challenges in the sport.
