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00:00Hello and welcome to another edition of As the Blade Turns. My name is Dave Lees and I'm going to be discussing the outcome of the Camila Volgeva doping case.
00:08If you are new here, please subscribe below and smash that like button because I'm sure there are going to be plenty of comments in all directions.
00:17Well, I want to start by giving the background of news that came out shortly prior to 1 a.m. Eastern Time at approximately 12.45 a.m. last night.
00:29The news I will be reading is from the New York Times, dated February 14th. Russian figure skater can compete but won't receive medals.
00:38Arbitrators cleared Camila Volgeva to continue competing in the Beijing Olympics despite failing a doping test, but officials said they would withhold medals until her case is resolved.
00:48The Russian figure skating star at the center of doping questions at the Beijing Olympics will be allowed to continue to compete despite failing a doping test weeks ago,
00:56but officials will not conduct an awards ceremony or hand out medals in any event she wins until her case is resolved.
01:03The International Olympic Committee took the extraordinary step of serving notice that the athlete Camila Volgeva, 15, would stay off the podium,
01:10as would the other medalists in her events, because of lingering doubts about her eligibility.
01:16Volgeva became a face of the Games as she helped her Russian team win an earlier competition,
01:20and it is widely seen as the favorite to win the women's singles event that she begins on Tuesday.
01:27Should Ms. Volgeva finish amongst the top three competitors in the women's singles skating competition,
01:31no flower ceremony and no medal ceremony will take place during the Olympic Winter Games, the Olympic Committee said in a statement.
01:38It also confirmed that no ceremony will be conducted during the Games for the team event that Russia won last week.
01:45It said it would conduct dignified medal ceremonies once the case of Ms. Volgeva has been concluded.
01:52The IOC's decision came hours after a panel of arbitrators ruling on a narrow procedural point
01:57cleared Volgeva to continue competing in Beijing,
02:00saying it would be unfair and cause irreparable harm to Volgeva if she were barred from the competition.
02:05The IOC had asked the panel to reinstate a suspension that would have kept her out of competition.
02:11At a practice session a half hour after the ruling,
02:14Volgeva performed her usual array of jumps and spins impeccably as more than 100 journalists looked on.
02:19She left the rink carrying a favorite stuffed rabbit toy without speaking to reporters.
02:24While the ruling on her eligibility to compete by a panel from the Court of Arbitration for Sport
02:29means Volgeva can begin her pursuit of a second gold medal,
02:32questions already are hanging over her performance and the Russian team,
02:36as well as the system meant to ensure that athletes taking part in major global competitions are clean.
02:41The arbitration panel ruled on a narrow question.
02:44Did Russia act improperly when it lifted a suspension of Volgeva last week,
02:48only one day after imposing it?
02:50That decision effectively cleared the path for Volgeva to compete in the singles event.
02:54But three international organizations, the International Olympic Committee,
02:58the World Anti-Doping Agency, and Scalding's global governing body, immediately challenged it.
03:04In its decision, the panel said it considered fundamental principles of fairness,
03:08proportionality, irreparable harm, and the balance of interests between Volgeva
03:13and the organizations seeking to bar her from the Games.
03:15Also, it noted Volgeva was a minor and did not test positive at the Beijing Games,
03:21though she could face penalties when her case is examined after the Olympics.
03:25The panel was not charged with deciding whether Russia should keep the gold medal in the team
03:29composition, a prize earned with the help of Volgeva's stunning performances.
03:34Nor did it consider the question of whether Volgeva was guilty of knowingly using a banned drug.
03:40But it did question the timing of the events, saying there were serious issues of untimely
03:44notification of the results.
03:47Matthew Reeb, the director general of the court, announced the ruling at a news conference in
03:50Beijing on Monday, less than 30 hours before the women's event was to begin.
03:55He lamented the delay in processing Volgeva's sample, which was collected December 25th,
03:59but not returned with the positive result until last Monday after she had begun competing in the Games.
04:05Reeb left the room after making the announcement without answering reporters' questions.
04:10The World Anti-Doping Agency expressed disappointment in the decision and said in a statement that the
04:15panel had ignored specific provisions of the anti-doping code that governs athletes and which
04:20required a suspension, even for a teenager.
04:23Within minutes of the ruling, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee issued a similar
04:27statement expressing its own disappointment.
04:29Sarah Hirschland, a chief executive of the committee, said clean athletes were being denied the right to
04:34know if they are competing on a level playing field.
04:36We are disappointed by the messages this sentence, Hirschland said, adding this appears to be
04:41another chapter in the systemic and pervasive disregard for clean sport by Russia.
04:46Trissa Smith, the president of the Canadian Olympic Committee, said it was extremely disappointed
04:50with the result.
04:51Canada won fourth in the team event, behind the United States and Japan, but could only be
04:56elevated to bronze if a later ruling on the substance of Volgeva's doping case leads to a
05:00change in the final order.
05:02The final resolution of questions of Volgeva's eligibility could take months to sort out.
05:08Groups angry at the ruling to allow her to compete also denounce previous decisions that
05:12have allowed Russian athletes to compete at these games, even as their country is banned
05:16from them after it was caught orchestrating a state-sponsored doping scheme.
05:20As part of its punishment, Russia's name, flag, and anthem are prohibited at the Beijing Olympics.
05:25Russian athletes who have been cleared by their individual sports federations are competing
05:29under the banner of the Russian Olympic Committee.
05:31Russia has never been incentivized to reform because sport leaders favored politics over
05:36principle and rebranding over banning, said Rob Kohler, the director general of Global Athlete
05:42and Athlete Advocacy Group.
05:44Volgeva tested positive for trimitazidine, a heart medication that could increase endurance.
05:48Her positive result came from a urine sample that was taken from her at the Russian National
05:52Championships on December 25th, but not confirmed by the Stockholm lab entrusted with testing it
05:58for about six weeks.
05:59The Russian anti-doping agency said it had received notice from the Swedish lab of Volgeva's
06:04failed drug test only on February 7th, the same day that she led the Russians to a gold
06:09medal in the team event.
06:11This is a very complicated and controversial situation, her coach Eteri Tudboriza told Russia's
06:17state-run TV network Channel 1 on Saturday.
06:20There are many questions and very few answers.
06:23Despite those unknowns, Tudboriza declared that we are absolutely confident that Camila
06:28is innocent and clean.
06:30In the last week's free skate in the team competition, Volgeva became the first woman
06:33to land a quadruple jump.
06:35Her performance led the Russians to win the team event, their best showing ever.
06:39In the weeks following the Olympics, though, Volgeva's case will be continued and could end
06:43up back at the court of arbitration for sport for new rulings by new panels.
06:48Because she is only 15, she is recognized as a protected person under certain anti-doping
06:53rules.
06:54Her case will be assessed under different standards of evidence, and she would face lesser penalties,
06:58if any, than adults would.
07:00The people more likely to face punishment would be any of her coaches, trainers, and medical
07:04personnel who might have known about her use of the drug or who might have been providing
07:09it to her.
07:10Both the Russian anti-doping agency and WADA said they would investigate those people.
07:14It is also possible that Volgeva could receive only a reprimand for using the banned drug
07:19or for having it in her system.
07:23Well, I wanted to do more of a deep dive into this situation.
07:26I mean, I think for many of us in the world, it is certainly a stunning, stunning decision.
07:34I just wanted to give WADA's statement, and then we're going to talk more about the case
07:39itself.
07:40Obviously, there are a lot of emotions going on.
07:43There was an interesting response by a runner from the Summer Olympics that many remember,
07:55Sha'Carri Richardson, and she said,
07:57Can we get a solid answer on the difference between her situation, meaning Kamila Volgeva,
08:02and mine?
08:03My mother died, and I can't run, and was also favored to place top three.
08:08The only difference I see is that I'm a black young lady.
08:11Sha'Carri Richardson was banned for taking marijuana.
08:14Kamila Volgeva is banned for taking heart medication that, now unbanned, she was taking
08:21banned heart medication that allows her to have an increase of oxygen when she is training,
08:29providing a substantial benefit for the consistent performances that we see out there.
08:33So, Sha'Carri does certainly have a point about strange double standards that are taking place
08:38in the international sports world.
08:41We also have to remember, Andrea Radikhan lost her gold medal because she had taken a Sudafed.
08:45And while the Romanian doctor has admitted that he gave Sudafed to other gymnasts on that
08:50team, Sudafed is a Sudafed.
08:52Sudafed is not heart medication.
08:54You know, when we look at the grand scale of doping, you know, there is a wide array
08:58of benefits that some of these stimulants and drugs are providing.
09:03Heart medication is all the way to the right, as far as I'm concerned.
09:07We have Carolina Costner, who was suspended for helping her boyfriend evade WADA testers.
09:14We have, you know, Maria Sotskova, who was banned for 10 years for taking furosemide.
09:21Now, furosemide can allow other drugs to be washed out of one system, although there
09:25are sacrificial lambs if you read the Rodchenkova affair when he discusses how this world actually
09:32works.
09:33Now, I wanted to read a statement from WADA.
09:36The World Anti-Doping Agency acknowledges the ruling announced today by the Court of
09:39Arbitration for Sport to confirm the lifting of the provisional suspension of Russian Olympic
09:44Committee figure skater Kamila Valyeva.
09:46WADA's appeal to CIS in this case, which was filed alongside appeals by the IOC.
09:51and the ISU was based on WADA's position that a decision by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency
09:55Disciplinary Committee to lift the mandatory provisional suspension on the athlete was
09:59not in line with the terms of the WADA code.
10:03WADA is therefore disappointed by today's ruling of the CAS ad hoc division.
10:07While WADA has not received the reasoned award, it appears that the CAS panel decided not to
10:13apply the terms of the code, which does not apply, allow for specific exceptions to be made
10:18in relation to mandatory provisional suspensions for protected persons, including minors.
10:24Concerning the analysis of the athlete's sample, WADA always expects anti-doping organizations
10:29to liaise with the laboratories in order to ensure they expedite the analysis of samples
10:34so that the results are received prior to athletes traveling to or competing in a major event,
10:39such as the Olympic or Paralympic Games, and where applicable, conduct result management
10:44of the cases related to such athletes. According to information received by WADA, the sample in this
10:49case was not flagged by RUSADA as being a priority sample when it was received by the Anti-Doping
10:55Laboratory in Stockholm, Sweden. This meant the laboratory did not know to fast-track the analysis
11:00of this sample.
11:01So, RUSADA is required to make a note on these samples that they are, in fact, priority because
11:11the athlete is an Olympian. RUSADA did not do that in this case. So, while the Russians have been able
11:16to put forward that it took six weeks, why did it take six weeks for this positive sample,
11:22I think we are seeing now why it took so long to get this. This is one of those things where the
11:28six-weeks timeframe has been repeated, repeated, repeated, repeated, repeated, repeated. It's
11:33almost like, if the glove don't fit, you must acquit. We're not looking at the fact that OJ's hand
11:39might have gotten bigger in jail. We're not looking at the fact that maybe the glove did fit, as, you
11:44know, people are later, you know, looking at with cameras and video. I think here we're looking at
11:50RUSADA didn't actually mark it as a priority sample. No one will remember that actual detail. It's very,
11:55very interesting here. We will see Camila Valjeva compete in the event, but perhaps that is
12:02irreparable harm to the sport of figure skating. Perhaps that is actually irreparable harm to the
12:06Olympics as it goes forward. Obviously, there is always going to be a spectacle. I think that there
12:11will be people who will tune in, although I have to say my own inbox and messages around the clock have
12:18been flooded with people who are extremely upset, people who don't think they want to watch, people who
12:23are really upset at what this means for the sport. The skaters themselves are taking this extremely
12:28hard, as it seems that Russians have priority status, which is something that has always been
12:32suspected among figure skaters, whether it comes to judging, whether it comes to other, you know,
12:39doping things that are happening. But this is in plain sight. And this is something I think that is
12:43really distressing for anyone who wants to compete in a legitimate international sporting event.
12:49And it does seem that it is, you know, a dark day for everyone involved.
12:55WADA's statement did conclude saying, as previously announced under the terms of the code,
12:59when a minor is involved in an anti-doping case, there is a requirement to investigate that athletes
13:04support personnel. RUSADA has already indicated it has begun that process. In addition, WADA's
13:09independent intelligence and investigations department will look into it. Well, I certainly think
13:13that those two investigations may yield two very different results. And I think it is really start
13:19time to start asking more serious questions about the Russian Olympic Committee, RUSADA, and what can be
13:26allowed to take place moving forward. Although confidence in those yielding any really positive change
13:35is not great, I think, at this time.
13:38I wanted to put forth what the actual excuse was that they put forward Volyeva's lawyers,
13:46because this is really interesting here. Volyeva's main line of defense, which was announced at a
13:50meeting of the anti-doping committee in Russia on February 9th, is that trimitazidine somehow got
13:55into the body of a 15-year-old athlete through her grandfather. The elderly man has heart problems,
14:00takes this medicine regularly, and spends a lot of time with Camilla. However, the defense could not
14:05clearly explain how exactly the illegal drug was transferred from the body of the grandfather
14:10to his granddaughter. The lawyer suggested that the whole point is that they drank from the same
14:14glass. It's really important to remember that Camilla is training so many hours a day. She is
14:19extremely exhausted. How did this medication magically fly into her system? It is absolute
14:27idiocy for anyone to believe this excuse. And they do not know how somehow, you know,
14:34taking a glass of water, sharing it would somehow get this drug into her system at such a level that
14:39it would be flagged by WADA. It's just lunacy. But as we, you know, as we can see moving forward,
14:46the truth is really not of much importance here. There are certainly greater factors being,
14:54you know, important behind the scenes.
15:02I wanted to read a couple of excerpts from the Rodchenkov affair. It's a book that I link to in the
15:07description box in every video. He is the subject of Icarus. But this book goes into far more detail
15:13than you'd see in the documentary. And he really answers a lot of questions about the logic of doping
15:19and why people do it. So I wanted us to read a couple of excerpts from this and, you know, have
15:25a bigger discussion about why, when the New York Times was so focused on whether or not this drug
15:31gave Camila Valjeva a boost in her actual performance, that it isn't actually that important.
15:38One of the things that he says is,
15:40I think there are a lot of people that would argue about this. A lot of pharmacologists, but this is
16:01someone who is in charge of doping who is arguing this. He said athletes were always looking for ways
16:08to protect themselves from the physical depredations of Olympic level preparation. The real purpose of
16:13doping is not to build muscles, but rather to help the body recover from competition or survive the
16:18rigors of training. So this is interesting is because he really focuses on how important training
16:23is. One of the things about Michael Phelps that we've learned in later years is that his body only
16:29produces 50% of the lactic acid of the normal person, which gives him a huge benefit day after day
16:36after day after day after day of training. And it could be that lactic acid in addition to his,
16:42you know, stature and his, you know, mind that has helped make him such a great competitor over
16:49the years. But that lactic acid provided a boost for him naturally that other people are trying to
16:55seek out in terms of trying to have something that will help the body recover. You know, anyone could
17:00train hard one day. I mean, maybe not anyone, right, in terms of what they're doing. But, you know,
17:05if you think of an athlete training hard one day, think about that person not being able to move
17:09the next day. Think about after you shovel snow, your back is bad the next day, right? These
17:14athletes who are able to do this day after day after day after day after day and do that extra
17:19training regimen, think about the boost that they would have, the natural advantage over another
17:24competitor who is not taking drugs, allowing them to recover. Continues, in other words, it was a
17:29trade-off. Athletes started doping when the potential harm of overtraining exceeded the potential
17:34harm of taking drugs. The members of an athlete's entourage, doctors, masseuses, and coaches learned
17:41how to use pharmaceutical products and how to avoid problems with doping controls. To be on the safe
17:47side, the rules were simple. Don't overdose and don't mix too many medications. He then goes on to
17:53talk about how he had the opportunity to cheat and to take anabolic steroids. He said,
17:58I understood how this worked. Just a few years before, my summer training sessions had left me
18:03weak-kneed, dehydrated, exhausted, and peeing blood. They debilitated me far more than the
18:08anabolic steroids I started taking to help me recover. Ethics aside, I preferred taking the
18:12steroids to suffering the grueling symptoms of overtraining. He says that doping has now become
18:18a symptom for cheating, which is why in the USSR, we always referred to our athletes' pharmacology,
18:23and we justified it to ourselves. We were forced to develop schemes and protocols to keep up with
18:28our rivals. Interesting is he then goes on to continue. In the 1980s, with the creation of WADA,
18:40still some way off, there were no agreed rules governing the national laboratories and no shared
18:45protocols listing analytical procedures and targeted substances. The Cold War prevented the
18:50socialist and capitalist countries from cooperating. I would remember this lesson for the rest of my
18:54life. The doping control laboratories were always behind the dopers and are mainly factories that
18:59churn out false negative results. He then continues to say, it didn't take me long to realize,
19:07then he says, the VNIIFK laboratory was a uniquely Soviet institution. Its primary function was not to
19:13catch athletes who were using banned drugs, but to instruct the national teams how to not to get caught,
19:19providing them with the details of detection windows and washout periods for every anabolic steroid
19:24that doctors and coaches were prescribing. The USSR didn't practice doping control per se,
19:29but it exerted control over the permitted use of doping substances. Everybody's clean,
19:35except they aren't. At the national team level, the ultimate goal was to pass mandatory pre-departure
19:39doping control before competing abroad. Only those athletes who were certified as clean were allowed to
19:45travel outside the Soviet Union. The system was animated by a deep-seated fear of scandal. If a
19:51Soviet athlete got busted abroad, numerous apparatchiks would lose their jobs or the Communist
19:56Party membership, and with it, their foreign trips, the most alluring privilege of Soviet power.
20:01I knew that inside the Soviet Union, national level track and field athletes used all the steroids and
20:05simulants they could get without fear of disqualification. Since I had never heard about a Soviet
20:10athlete being disqualified inside the USSR, it was clear that doped athletes were safe at home.
20:16He also goes into, in the book, you know, these governing bodies tipping people off and athletes
20:23off when these tests needed to be taken and when, you know, outside doping agencies would also be coming
20:28that way, you know, their tests could then be clean. I think you could see how someone could imagine
20:34when they are focusing on how, oh, but this athlete tested clean at the Olympics, or this person had X
20:41number of clean test results. You could see how the system is flawed because there are tip-offs every which
20:46way that are happening and a real system of corruption. I think the way of testing, if there is any
20:52legitimacy to be had within the international Olympic sports movement, has got to be changed. It's clear what
20:59they're doing is not enough, or perhaps, you know, not even believable window dressing at this point.
21:08I wanted to bring up a few other points that are taking place in the charade of information that is
21:14available out there. One of the pictures that has been circulated on social media is of Kamila
21:20Volyeva with a Russian Orthodox priest who spoke to her during this very difficult time. And the optics of
21:28it are certainly great. You know, the innocent young athlete with a religious figure basically
21:34absolving her of any of this and providing spiritual guidance. Very interesting is that
21:39the picture is believed to have taken place in Beijing and that the doctor was, I mean, that the
21:46priest was somehow, you know, brought there. No one is wearing a COVID mask in the photo. How did this
21:52get past COVID protocols? You know, where is even the respect for the COVID protocols during the
21:58COVID Olympics? And of course, Kamila Volyeva is Muslim, and this is something that the Russian
22:05figure skating press does not cover extensively. I also think we have to wonder about Anna Shcherbakova
22:11and the smelling salts that we saw given to her before her performance at the Russian figure skating
22:16championships. Now, it was one thing when Tiffany Zahorsky was actually almost passing out at the end
22:21of her free dance at nationals and was given smelling salts. But Anna Shcherbakova was given
22:29smelling salts before. Imagine you're about to compete at one of the biggest competitions of the
22:35year and you feel faint and then you go on to triple jumps. Are we really supposed to believe
22:40logically that she was just inhaling ammonia before she competed? I think now that we're learning about
22:47the kinds of drugs that they are taking, we're learning about Dr. Shcherbakova and his xenon gas,
22:54I think we have to wonder, really, what drug was that that Anna Shcherbakova was taking on
22:58television? And why was that never covered by anyone? How come Olympic sports reporters aren't
23:04really focusing on the major competitions outside of the Olympic Games? If someone from a major outlet is
23:09going to cover some of the competitions, wouldn't that be a competition certainly to pay attention to?
23:16That was something that happened that was so aberrant and that was so unusual, and yet it was really
23:21largely overlooked. And I think that was a clue, again, in plain sight about a state-sponsored doping
23:27program and about unusual things taking place. There were so many questions about COVID and its
23:33effects on the athletes that were there in plain sight all of the 2020 to 2021 season, but so many
23:39things were just overlooked and excused and swept under the rug as being a part of the larger COVID issues
23:44that were taking place. Remember, the Russian figure skaters did not wear masks, the audience
23:50did not wear masks for much of COVID, and if they were, they were certainly below the nose and often
23:56below the chin. It was just part of a larger issue that was taking place in sports last season.
24:03You know, I think we are having to wonder what the chemists are getting, are cooking up
24:09for these young athletes and what kinds of things they are willing to do to win in Russia. I think we
24:17are seeing the effects of a country that has never been punished for its actions. And unfortunately,
24:23with the ruling, while Kamila Volyeva is not to blame for taking the drugs, being allowed to compete
24:30after being known to have been taken quite a serious doping drug, I think it really gives a green light
24:36to the Russian Figure Skating Federation, to the Russian Olympic Committee to continue. Because if
24:42there is no punishment, why would they stop? There is no deterrent to stop their current action. I think
24:49we have to really wonder, you know, where does this lie? I mean, luckily, the ISU recently postponed
24:56the World Junior Figure Skating Championships by two months to May. But think about it. Now that someone
25:02who's 15 is able to dope, we can just say that, oh, they're too young, they're still a protected person
25:07under the WADA code. What about all the figure skaters? They're going to be doing triple axles
25:11and quads from Team 2 Bariza at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships. You know, what could
25:18they be taking there? Because they're too young to be, you know, held accountable for doping. I think
25:24that that is a big question that we really have to think about as we go forward in the sport.
25:29I also wanted to talk about how in the Russian press, there was a real feeling that Jeff Benz would be
25:36favorable to them, that he had somehow been favorable to Russians. They were talking about
25:40an American, you know, being really unbiased, that they were really happy that he was going to be on
25:45the case. If you were looking at some of the Russian Telegram channels or any of the Russian media reports prior
25:51to last night's outcome. Well, there was a Boston Globe article that came out on February 12th,
25:58former American figure skater among judges who will rule whether Camila Volieva can compete.
26:04One of the lawyers that will judge Russian figure skating star Camila Volieva's doping case at the
26:09Beijing Olympics on Sunday is an American who was once picked by Maria Sharapova's legal team for her appeal
26:15over a similar performance-enhancing drug. Jeffrey Benz was named Saturday by the Court of Arbitration
26:20for Sport to sit on the three-judge panel for the urgent case of Volieva, a 15-year-old Russian who
26:25tested positive for a bad heart medication at an event in December. The verdict from Benz and his
26:30fellow judges who are from Italy and Slovenia is expected Monday and will decide if the sport's
26:35new star can compete a day later at the start of the women's individual event. She would be favored to
26:40win gold on Thursday. The panel for the closed-door video link hearing was picked by the court known as
26:46CAS from a select group of nine judges made available for special duty at the Beijing Olympics.
26:51Volieva returned to the practice ring Saturday, hitting quadruple jump after quadruple jump as
26:55she prepared for an event from which she would soon be banned. This is a very complicated and
27:00controversial situation, Volieva's coach Terry Tiberiza told Russian state-run TV network Channel One
27:05in her first public comments about the case. There are many questions and very few answers.
27:10Tiberiza said she was not sure how Volieva had been cleared to compete at the Olympics in the first
27:14place. It took a Stockholm lab more than six weeks to report that the urine sample Volieva submitted
27:19December 25th had been proud to contain traces of a banned drug, trimitazidine, that is thought to
27:25increase endurance. Despite those unknowns, she added quickly, I wanted to say that we are absolutely
27:30confident that Camilla is innocent and clean. Neither side in the Volieva case was allowed to pick a
27:35preferred judge as they would in a typical case outside of the Olympics, but the Russians might
27:40be happy with the American. Benz was an elite figure skater competing in ice dance at the national
27:45level in the United States and has been picked for several cases involving Russian sports as one of
27:50the most in-demand judges at CAS. In Sharapova's appeal at the Switzerland-based court in 2016,
27:56Benz was chosen on behalf of the Russian tennis star to serve on the three-judge panel. She had been
28:01banned for two years after testing positive for the banned heart medication meldonium
28:04at the Australian Open. CAS ruled she was not entirely at fault and her ban was cut to 15
28:10months. Another skating case at CAS in 2017 saw Benz picked by the Russian National Federation and
28:17RUSADA, the anti-doping agency, which is a party in the Volieva hearing on Sunday. That time, Benz and
28:22his fellow judges extended the ban for Russian short-track speed skater Alexandra Malkova. She served a 20-month
28:28ban instead of three months. On Sunday, the CAS judges will examine an appeal filed by the IOC,
28:34WADA, and the International Skating Union to have Volieva excluded from the women's competition.
28:39They argue RUSADA's ruling on Wednesday to lift an interim ban was wrong. Benz once worked as a lawyer
28:44for the USOC, but the case he will hear Sunday has no impact on the team event. Whether Americans would
28:50stand to be elevated to gold if the Russians are disqualified, RUSADA will separately investigate
28:55the original doping case against Volieva because it happened at the Russian national championships.
28:59Russian officials have been quick to defend Volieva. Russian sports minister Oleg Matyshin said that he
29:05had spoken twice with Volieva and said it is doubly concerning that she is doubly convincing that she is
29:11completely innocent. Tuber raised new doubts about the delayed test result, saying either this was an
29:17ill-fated confluence of circumstances or was a very well-conceived plan. I hope our officials will not
29:22abandon us and defend our rights and prove our innocence. Well, unfortunately, as this event moves
29:28forward, it has become a real dark cloud over these Beijing Olympics. I am reminded of the last time I was
29:36in Beijing for the Olympic Games. Well, the only time I was in Beijing for the Olympics is where I met
29:41Christine Brennan, and that is when the Chinese gymnastics team was being alleged to have underage
29:46athletes on there. And Christine had pointed to gymnastics score sheets showing that the three
29:54athletes on the uneven bars, which was the event where China had its advantage, were the same three
29:59athletes who were alleged to have been underage at those games. As we continue, I think about how it
30:05has been suspected, believed, thought for months that the three girls from Russia, from Team Tutberidza,
30:12are expected to sweep the podium in the women's figure skating event. Well, we won't actually have
30:19a podium, of course, or a flower ceremony if Valjeva is among the top three, because then it's not allowed
30:25to be had. But she's going to be allowed to compete. And should the top three names be on the results sheet,
30:31we'll have to wonder forever about the legitimacy of the competition and legitimacy of the sport. And I
30:37certainly don't think that anyone really wishes Valjeva to fall if they think about it long and
30:42hard, because this is a young girl who is part of a much larger state-sponsored doping scheme. And if
30:49you think about it, why should anyone wish her ill? She's been through an extremely traumatic week.
30:55She has been through an extremely traumatic time in her life to even get to these Olympic games. And we
31:00have to think about, you know, the kinds of effects that this week will have on her. There's really no
31:04good outcome here. If she is to compete poorly, I think everyone will point to whether the week had
31:12an undue influence on her, and that perhaps it was unfair. There are those who feel it is unfair
31:17that she was able to compete, period. If she competes well, is that a middle finger to the
31:22anti-doping movement? Is that a middle finger to the Olympic sports movement and to clean sport?
31:27Obviously, she'll be heralded as a hero in her home country. But what does it say for the Olympic
31:31movement in general, you know, in total? What does it mean as we move forward? I think there are much
31:37bigger questions that we all have to grapple with and discuss as we move forward. And this case is
31:43surely not nearly over. Thank you.
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