(Beijing Winter Olympics) Why is figure skating "one more person"?
China News Service, Beijing, February 16 Title: Why is figure skating "one more person"?
China News Service reporter Zhang Su
Figure skating individual women's single skating short program, 30 contestants appeared, the top 24 entered the free skating stage and then decided the winner or loser. This is the usual practice in international competitions. However, there is one more person in the Beijing Winter Olympics figure skating women's singles free skating list.
According to the IOC's requirements, if the Russian Olympic Committee team figure skater Camilla Vallieva is in the top 24 in the women's singles short program competition, the INTERNATIONAL Skating Federation will allow the top 25 players in the short program to participate in the 17th free skating competition.
On February 15, the Figure Skating Women's Singles Short Program Competition for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was held at the Capital Gymnasium. Pictured is Russian Olympic Committee player Camilla Vallieva at the tournament. Photo by Cui Nan, a reporter from China News Service
On the evening of the 15th, Valieva scored 82.16 points in the short program. Although this result is quite different from the 90.18 points she scored in the short program of the team competition a few days ago, it is enough to let her lead.
In recent days, Vallieva, known as the "genius girl", has experienced great ups and downs in Beijing. First of all, she made great contributions to the Russian and Austrian teams to win the team gold medal, and for a time, she was surrounded by countless praises. Officials said she tested positive for a test sample she submitted at the end of last year and tested for a banned substance called trimetazide.
On February 14, the day after the individual competition, the International Court of Arbitration for Sport announced the rejection of the appeals of the International Olympic Committee, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Skating Federation, and decided to allow Valieva to continue to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics. It should be noted that the court did not rule on the merits of the case, nor did it examine the legal consequences related to the results of the figure skating team competition at the Beijing Winter Olympics, as "these issues will be examined in other proceedings" as "these issues will be examined in other proceedings"
On February 15, the Figure Skating Women's Singles Short Program Competition for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was held at the Capital Gymnasium. Pictured here is the Russian Olympic Committee team's Camilla Vallieva warming up before the game. Photo by Cui Nan, a reporter from China News Service
The parties then responded. Among them, in addition to requiring "one more person" in the promotion list, the International Olympic Committee also said that there will be no figure skating team competition award ceremony during the Winter Olympic Games. In addition, if Vallieva wins the top 3 places in the women's singles, there will be no more women's singles award ceremonies during this period.
In the midst of the "storm", Vallieva rarely made a public announcement, and she was both absent from press conferences and almost never stopped in the mixed interview area. People can only know from the limited coverage from the Russian media that the girl under the age of 16 said to herself that the past week has been very difficult, there is nowhere to release emotions, and after learning the final verdict, she can't help but shed tears of happiness, "It is difficult, but this is a stage that I have to go through".
In fact, this "difficult phase" continues. The attitudes of supporters and opponents are clear.5 On the evening of the 15th, when Vallieva finished the game and burst into tears on the ice rink, some people at the scene stood up and applauded, and some people protested with silence.
On February 15, the Figure Skating Women's Singles Short Program Competition for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was held at the Capital Gymnasium. Pictured is Russian Olympic Committee player Camilla Vallieva (center) waiting for points after the match. Photo by Cui Nan, a reporter from China News Service
More than one of the players competing with him was asked questions. Japan's Hanori Sakamoto, who was provisionally ranked third after the short show, was asked at a press conference whether he sympathized with Vallieva. "Should I feel sorry for her? I don't think so. Sakamoto replied.
Helping the team win the team silver medal but not yet attending the award ceremony, the disappointment of American Player Chen Kaiwen is overflowing. "I'm looking forward to sharing that moment with my teammates standing on the podium and I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that way. So, absolutely, absolutely disappointing. She said.
Swedish figure skater Josephine Tayegao said she hoped the staff in charge of the investigation would do their part and "time will tell".
The tense atmosphere in the stadium was transmitted to the outside of the field, and more people "chose the side". For example, the figure skating women's singles champion Zagitova at the last Winter Olympics and runner-up Medvedeva held banners together to openly express their support for their juniors. A group of figure skaters led by Vancouver Winter Olympic figure skating women's singles champion Jin Yeon-er, or bluntly stated on social media that "athletes who violate doping regulations should not participate", or said in the commentary of the competition that "this casts a shadow over the Winter Olympics", publicly criticizing Vallieva's participation.
On the 16th, the International Olympic Committee said that "Vallieva's results at the Winter Olympics will be regarded as preliminary results and subject to further investigation"; the International Skating Federation said that if she wins a medal, she can participate in the post-race skating.
In this season's short show, Vallieva performed "Girl Chasing Butterflies". According to her own account, figure skating is like "a butterfly falling on her hand", the butterfly is a symbol of dreams, she catches it and lets it go, "as if I have realized my dream and gained peace".
Right now, whether it's her or the ice rink, it will take time to return to peace. (End)