Beijing Olympics

[Above the Title]

So WADA rules are that athletes under 16 are a protected class and the penalties are less. There's a RUMOR (unsubstantiated, but my brain is reeling and I can't focus on anything else and I need to get through this psychosis) that she isn't being DQed because of her age, and that Eteri knew of this loophole and that's why she doped her openly. The positive test was in December (probably at Euros) but wasn't caught until now because of how backlogged WADA is. So she skated initially thinking everything was fine, and her tests in Beijing have been fine. In tandem with that though would be the IOC raising the age limit to 18 for all Olympics going forward - do the crime, do the time. What is unclear in the rumor is WHAT ARE THE SANCTIONS FOR ETERI, HER DOCTOR, HER TEAM AND RUSSIA FOR GIVING A CHILD AN ANGINA MEDICATION?

[NUguy514]

I'm obviously super pissed off about this, but it doesn't matter because Russia ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS gets away with this shit. The team will keep its gold, Valieva will skate in and win the ladies' competition (and I hold her blameless in this; she has exactly zero agency in her own life), and it's all a bunch of theatre. The IOC won't do anything about it because they haven't punished Russia at all for their open, state-sponsored doping, CAS won't do anything if a case is brought before it, and Russia will just keep on keeping on because there's no reason not to.

In better news, I'm really pleased that Lindsey Jacobellis managed to win gold after sixteen years of (sometimes self-driven) futility.

[misplaced validity]

Yes, so great for Lindsey Jacobellis!

[Above the Title]

The decision is going to be announced tonight at midnight EST (1pm local time) at the end/near the end of the men's free skate. So like...what if Nathan Chen wins and then steps off the ice and they're like oh you also won team gold? (But I have a sneaking feeling there won't be a DQ.) And btw, this has consumed my life today. I feel so terrible for Valieva, this little girl with all the talent in the world who has been used and spit out by every adult in her life. Even without a DQ, the team win and whatever happens in the ladies free will forever be tainted. Her reputation will never recover. Blood oxygen doping can have very harmful long-term health impacts on a young body. And she has nobody there in Beijing with her because of the stupid pandemic. When you talk about mental health and athletes with regards to Biles, Osaka, Shiffrin, etc. the same conversation applies here.

SO awesome for Jacobellis!

[misplaced validity]

I'm kind of glad I will be asleep when the decision comes out and hope people have parsed through it by the time I get to it. What a mess. And your point about Valieva not having people there is well taken.

What has Shiffrin said in relation to dealing with mental health issues?

[Culturegeek]

This sucks. What needs to happen won't, the person who will suffer the most won't deserve it and it's another death knell in a movement that would rather die than change.

[Culturegeek]

Kevin Aymoz' free program was imperfect, but it's a stunner. Shame he doesn't have the technical arsenal.

[NUguy514]

He had absolutely nothing to lose, so I'm glad Hanyu went for the 4A even if he really wasn't going to land it.

[Culturegeek]

If anyone gets higher PCS than Brown, including Chen, it'll be a joke.

[Culturegeek]

Uno Oda'd but somehow will still podium.