The Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to allow Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva to continue competing at the Beijing Olympics has drawn waves of criticism from those around the Games. Former skater and NBC broadcaster Tara Lipinski weighed in on the controversial decision on Tuesday, and she did not mince words.
“I strongly disagree with this decision. ... Clean sport is the only thing that matters at an Olympic Games,” Lipinski said. “What we love about an Olympic Games is that we get to marvel at humans pushing athletic limits and doing the impossible, with one caveat: to do it fairly and cleanly.”
Lipinski offered empathy for Valieva, who is just 15-years-old, and reflected on her own experiences competing on the Olympic stage as a teenager. She also criticized the Russian Olympic Committee for its pattern of skirting international rules and regulations and history of doping scandals.
"I started drug testing at 11 or 12 years old, and I just knew that it was protocol and came along with the territory," Lipinski said.
When asked whether the specific drug Valieva tested positive for—the heart medication trimetazidine—could boost performance, Lipinski was hesitant to draw a connection between the drug and Valieva’s ability to land the difficult quad jumps.
"You do not need performance enhancing drugs to do a quad," Lipinski said. "Obviously, the substance affects endurance and stamina. ... But we do have examples of athletes that have landed a quad cleanly and fairly."
Lipinski's broadcast partner, fellow former skater Johnny Weir, was more direct in his take on Valieva taking trimetazidine.
“But, to be fair, it's on a banned substance list for a reason,” Weir said. “And while we're not scientists, as former athletes, we have to adhere to the codes set out before us. That is the fair way to do it.”
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Lipinski concluded with her thoughts on how the decision to let Valieva continue to skate at the Games could present a long-term detriment to the sport in the future.
“Regardless of age, of timing, of results, at the end of the day, there was a positive test, and that skater should not be able to compete at the Olympic Games,” Lipinski said. “For me, I think it will leave a permanent scar on figure skating.”
