Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Women's singles
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The women's singles figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics was held on 15 and 17 February at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova, representing the Russian Olympic Committee, won the gold and silver medals, respectively, while Kaori Sakamoto of Japan won the bronze. The competition was overshadowed by the controversy that arose when it was reported that although Kamila Valieva of Russia had tested positive for a banned substance, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that she be allowed to compete in the event pending a formal outcome of their investigation. Since Valieva originally finished in fourth place, her subsequent disqualification did not affect the awarding of the medals for this event.
| Women's singles skating at the XXIV Olympic Winter Games | |||||||||||||
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| Venue | Capital Indoor Stadium Beijing, China | ||||||||||||
| Dates | 15 & 17 February 2022 | ||||||||||||
| Competitors | 30 from 18 nations | ||||||||||||
| Winning score | 255.95 points | ||||||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||||||
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Background
In 2016, an independent report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirmed allegations that the Russian Olympic team had been involved in a state-sponsored doping program from at least late 2011 through February 2014, when Russia hosted the Winter Olympics in Sochi.[2][3] On 9 December 2019, the WADA banned Russia from all international competitions after it found that data provided by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency had been manipulated by Russian authorities in order to protect athletes involved in its doping scheme.[4] Under a ban imposed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in December 2019, Russian athletes could not use the Russian flag or anthem in international competition and had to compete as "Neutral Athletes" or a "Neutral Team" at any world championships for the next two years.[5] On 19 February 2021, it was announced that Russian athletes would compete under the name of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) at the 2022 Winter Olympics.[6]
The women's singles figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics was held on 15 and 17 February at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China.[1] The three women selected by the Russian Olympic Committee – Kamila Valieva, Anna Shcherbakova, and Alexandra Trusova – were expected to dominate the Olympics.[7] In addition to having won the 2022 European Figure Skating Championships,[8][a] Valieva had dominated the season by winning every competition she entered. She broke the world records in the free skate and overall total at the 2021 Finlandia Trophy, bested those scores at the 2021 Skate Canada International, and bested them again at the 2021 Rostelecom Cup, where she also set a new world record in the short program. Trusova, known as the "jumping fairy", was the first woman to successfully perform a quadruple Lutz, quadruple toe loop, and quadruple flip in international competition. Shcherbakova had won the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships.[7] Karen Chen of the United States likened women's figure skating to a two-tier competition, with the Russian women competing at levels beyond everyone else.[10]
Qualification
Twenty-four quota spots in women's singles were awarded based on the results at the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships.[11] An additional six quota spots were earned at the 2021 Nebelhorn Trophy.[12]
| Event | Skaters per NOC |
Qualifying NOCs | Total skaters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 World Championships | 3 |  ROC Japan |
24 |
| 2 |  United States South Korea | ||
| 1 |  Belgium Austria Azerbaijan Canada Estonia Sweden Netherlands Bulgaria Germany Georgia China Czech Republic Great Britain Finland | ||
| 2021 Nebelhorn Trophy | 1 | United States Poland Belarus Switzerland Ukraine Australia |
6 |
| Total | 30 | ||
Kamila Valieva controversy
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The medal ceremony for the figure skating team event, originally scheduled for 8 February, was delayed over what International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams described as a situation that required legal consultation with the International Skating Union (ISU).[13] Media outlets reported on 9 February that the issue was a positive drug test, administered in December 2021, for trimetazidine by Kamila Valieva,[14][15] which was officially confirmed on 11 February.[16] The Russian Anti-Doping Agency, under suspension from the World Anti-Doping Agency since 2015 for hiding the positive doping results of Russian athletes for years,[17][18][19] cleared Valieva to compete on 9 February, a day after the December test results were released. The IOC and the ISU appealed that decision.[20]
On 14 February, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Valieva be allowed to compete in the women's event on grounds that preventing her from competing "would cause her irreparable harm in the circumstances",[21] though her gold medal in the team event was still under consideration. The favorable decision from the Court was in part due to her age, as minor athletes were subject to different rules than adult athletes.[21][22] As a result, the IOC announced that should Valieva finish in the top three, no medal ceremony would be held until the investigation was over. To allow for the possibility that her results might be disqualified, the IOC asked the ISU to expand the qualifying field for the free skate by one to twenty-five, contingent upon Valieva being one of the top twenty-four skaters to advance to the free skate.[23]
Required performance elements
Women performed their short programs on 15 February.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,[24] the short program had to include the following elements: one double or triple Axel; one triple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, or two triple jumps; one flying spin; one layback spin, sideways leaning spin, camel spin, or sit spin without a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and one step sequence using the full ice surface.[25]
The top twenty-five highest-scoring skaters after the short program advanced to the free skating, which they performed on 17 February.[1] The free skate could last no more than 4 minutes,[24] and had to include the following: seven jump elements, of which one had to be an Axel-type jump; three spins, of which one had to be a spin combination, one a flying spin, and one a spin with only one position; a step sequence; and a choreographic sequence.[26]
Judging
All of the technical elements in any figure skating performance – such as jumps and spins – were assigned a predetermined base point value and scored by a panel of nine judges on a scale from −5 to 5 based on their quality of execution.[27] The judging panel's Grade of Execution (GOE) was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (the average after discarding the highest and lowest scores), and this GOE was added to the base value to come up with the final score for each element. The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a total elements score.[28] At the same time, the judges evaluated each performance based on five program components – skating skills, transitions, performance, composition, and interpretation of the music – and assigned a score from 0.25 to 10 in 0.25-point increments.[29] The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the following chart; the results were added together to generate a total program component score.[30]
| Discipline | Short program | Free skate |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 0.80 | 1.60 |
Deductions were applied for certain violations like time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.[32] The total elements score and program component score were added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater.[33]
Results
- Code key
- TSS – Total segment score
- TES – Total elements score
- PCS – Program component score
- SS – Skating skills
- TR – Transitions
- PE – Performance
- CO – Composition
- IN – Interpretation of the music
Short program
The women's short program was held on 15 February. Kamila Valieva of Russia originally finished in first place, scoring 82.16 points, despite stumbling on her triple Axel. Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova, also of Russia, finished in second and fourth places, respectively. Kaori Sakamoto of Japan finished in third place.[34] Valieva's results in the competition were eventually voided by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2024.[9]
Although the scandal surrounding Valieva dominated the news cycle, the other skaters focused on their own performances and avoided social media. "It's not easy being here," said Mariah Bell of the United States. "It's a tough situation for everyone."[34] "I concentrated on myself and it didn't matter what was going on around me," commented Olga Mikutina of Austria.[34] Lindsay van Zundert of the Netherlands stated: "It's just me, my skates, and my program and nothing else."[34] With the possibility that Valieva's score might eventually be stricken, the International Olympic Committee allowed the top twenty-five skaters to advance to the free skate, as opposed to the usual twenty-four.[34]
| Pl. | Skater | Nation | TSS | TES | PCS | SS | TR | PE | CO | IN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anna Shcherbakova | ROC |
80.20 | 42.87 | 37.33 | 9.14 | 9.18 | 9.46 | 9.43 | 9.46 |
| 2 | Kaori Sakamoto | Japan |
79.84 | 43.22 | 36.62 | 9.29 | 8.93 | 9.21 | 9.18 | 9.18 |
| 3 | Alexandra Trusova | ROC |
74.60 | 40.12 | 35.48 | 8.75 | 8.71 | 8.96 | 8.96 | 8.96 |
| 4 | Wakaba Higuchi | Japan |
73.51 | 39.53 | 33.98 | 8.61 | 8.25 | 8.54 | 8.50 | 8.57 |
| 5 | You Young | South Korea |
70.34 | 36.80 | 33.54 | 8.43 | 8.21 | 8.46 | 8.46 | 8.36 |
| 6 | Loena Hendrickx | Belgium |
70.09 | 36.09 | 34.00 | 8.50 | 8.29 | 8.43 | 8.61 | 8.68 |
| 7 | Alysa Liu | United States |
69.50 | 36.85 | 32.65 | 8.14 | 8.00 | 8.32 | 8.21 | 8.14 |
| 8 | Kim Ye-lim | South Korea |
67.78 | 35.27 | 32.51 | 8.21 | 7.96 | 8.21 | 8.14 | 8.11 |
| 9 | Anastasiia Gubanova | Georgia |
65.40 | 34.43 | 30.97 | 7.71 | 7.50 | 7.79 | 7.75 | 7.96 |
| 10 | Mariah Bell | United States |
65.38 | 33.43 | 32.95 | 8.25 | 8.07 | 8.25 | 8.25 | 8.36 |
| 11 | Eliška Březinová | Czech Republic |
64.31 | 35.74 | 28.57 | 7.14 | 6.86 | 7.29 | 7.18 | 7.25 |
| 12 | Karen Chen | United States |
64.11 | 31.24 | 33.87 | 8.50 | 8.32 | 8.36 | 8.61 | 8.54 |
| 13 | Nicole Schott | Germany |
63.13 | 33.01 | 30.12 | 7.50 | 7.25 | 7.61 | 7.57 | 7.71 |
| 14 | Mana Kawabe | Japan |
62.69 | 33.66 | 30.03 | 7.75 | 7.32 | 7.46 | 7.54 | 7.46 |
| 15 | Ekaterina Ryabova | Azerbaijan |
61.82 | 32.43 | 29.39 | 7.36 | 7.11 | 7.54 | 7.36 | 7.36 |
| 16 | Viktoriia Safonova | Belarus |
61.46 | 32.72 | 28.74 | 7.18 | 7.04 | 7.25 | 7.25 | 7.21 |
| 17 | Olga Mikutina | Austria |
61.14 | 32.54 | 28.60 | 7.14 | 6.96 | 7.32 | 7.21 | 7.11 |
| 18 | Alexia Paganini | Switzerland |
61.06 | 32.03 | 29.03 | 7.39 | 6.96 | 7.32 | 7.29 | 7.32 |
| 19 | Madeline Schizas | Canada |
60.53 | 29.61 | 30.92 | 7.71 | 7.54 | 7.75 | 7.82 | 7.82 |
| 20 | Eva-Lotta Kiibus | Estonia |
59.55 | 30.89 | 29.66 | 7.32 | 7.25 | 7.46 | 7.46 | 7.57 |
| 21 | Lindsay van Zundert | Netherlands |
59.24 | 32.12 | 27.12 | 6.71 | 6.46 | 7.00 | 6.86 | 6.86 |
| 22 | Alexandra Feigin | Bulgaria |
59.16 | 32.36 | 26.80 | 6.64 | 6.57 | 6.79 | 6.79 | 6.71 |
| 23 | Ekaterina Kurakova | Poland |
59.08 | 28.42 | 30.66 | 7.68 | 7.36 | 7.68 | 7.75 | 7.86 |
| 24 | Jenni Saarinen | Finland |
56.97 | 27.79 | 29.18 | 7.32 | 7.04 | 7.29 | 7.36 | 7.46 |
| 25 | Josefin Taljegård | Sweden |
54.51 | 26.11 | 28.40 | 6.68 | 6.75 | 7.29 | 7.32 | 7.46 |
| 26 | Zhu Yi | China |
53.44 | 26.37 | 27.07 | 6.82 | 6.61 | 6.75 | 6.86 | 6.79 |
| 27 | Natasha McKay | Great Britain |
52.54 | 26.20 | 27.34 | 6.71 | 6.71 | 6.86 | 7.00 | 6.89 |
| 28 | Kailani Craine | Australia |
49.93 | 22.78 | 27.15 | 6.86 | 6.57 | 6.79 | 6.82 | 6.89 |
| 29 | Anastasiia Shabotova | Ukraine |
48.68 | 24.04 | 25.64 | 6.61 | 6.29 | 6.25 | 6.57 | 6.32 |
| DSQ[36] | Kamila Valieva | ROC |
Free skating
The women's free skating was held on 17 February. Kamila Valieva, who had been in the lead after the short program, made a series of errors in her free skate that resulted in her finishing in fourth place overall. "That's the most mistakes we've ever seen Kamila make in a free skate," commented Johnny Weir on the NBC broadcast.[37] Coach Eteri Tutberidze could be heard berating Valieva after she left the ice.[38] Anna Shcherbakova ended up finishing in first place and winning the gold medal, while Alexandra Trusova finished in second place and Kaori Sakamoto finished in third. Valieva was in tears, while Trusova could be heard shouting, "I hate this sport; I won't go onto the ice again",[39] in response to not winning the gold medal; with Johnny Weir providing translation from Russian to English in real time. Shcherbakova was alone when she learned she had won the gold medal. "You win the Olympics and you can't even celebrate," Weir commented.[39]
Anna Shcherbakova successfully landed both of her quadruple jumps, delivering a clean program that earned her a total of 255.95 points and the gold medal.[39] Alexandra Trusova landed five quadruple jumps, but still finished in second place. She later clarified her displeasure by saying that she was happy with her performance, but not with the judges' scores.[39] Kaori Sakamoto was also crying, but tears of joy. "I don't have the big jumps as others would have, which is a big handicap," said Sakamoto. "That means I had to have perfect elements."[39]
Kamila Valieva's fourth-place results were eventually stricken by the Court of Arbitration for Sport,[9] and all skaters originally placed below her moved up one spot.[40]
| Pl. | Skater | Nation | TSS | TES | PCS | SS | TR | PE | CO | IN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexandra Trusova | ROC |
177.13 | 106.16 | 70.97 | 9.00 | 8.57 | 9.07 | 8.79 | 8.93 |
| 2 | Anna Shcherbakova | ROC |
175.75 | 100.49 | 75.26 | 9.29 | 9.18 | 9.57 | 9.50 | 9.50 |
| 3 | Kaori Sakamoto | Japan |
153.29 | 78.90 | 74.39 | 9.46 | 9.04 | 9.39 | 9.32 | 9.29 |
| 4 | You Young | South Korea |
142.75 | 74.16 | 68.59 | 8.61 | 8.36 | 8.71 | 8.57 | 8.61 |
| 5 | Wakaba Higuchi | Japan |
140.93 | 72.67 | 69.26 | 8.71 | 8.46 | 8.68 | 8.75 | 8.68 |
| 6 | Alysa Liu | United States |
139.45 | 71.95 | 67.50 | 8.36 | 8.29 | 8.61 | 8.46 | 8.46 |
| 7 | Mariah Bell | United States |
136.92 | 68.25 | 68.67 | 8.46 | 8.39 | 8.71 | 8.57 | 8.79 |
| 8 | Loena Hendrickx | Belgium |
136.70 | 66.19 | 70.51 | 8.71 | 8.57 | 8.82 | 8.93 | 9.04 |
| 9 | Anastasiia Gubanova | Georgia |
135.58 | 70.06 | 65.52 | 8.14 | 7.89 | 8.32 | 8.29 | 8.32 |
| 10 | Kim Ye-lim | South Korea |
134.85 | 68.61 | 66.24 | 8.36 | 8.07 | 8.32 | 8.36 | 8.29 |
| 11 | Ekaterina Kurakova | Poland |
126.76 | 66.24 | 60.52 | 7.57 | 7.32 | 7.71 | 7.61 | 7.61 |
| 12 | Viktoriia Safonova | Belarus |
123.37 | 65.54 | 57.83 | 7.36 | 7.07 | 7.21 | 7.29 | 7.21 |
| 13 | Olga Mikutina | Austria |
121.06 | 61.12 | 59.94 | 7.50 | 7.43 | 7.46 | 7.57 | 7.50 |
| 14 | Ekaterina Ryabova | Azerbaijan |
118.15 | 59.58 | 58.57 | 7.50 | 7.18 | 7.39 | 7.29 | 7.25 |
| 15 | Lindsay van Zundert | Netherlands |
116.57 | 61.74 | 54.83 | 6.71 | 6.64 | 7.07 | 6.89 | 6.96 |
| 16 | Karen Chen | United States |
115.82 | 51.61 | 65.21 | 8.32 | 8.04 | 7.93 | 8.29 | 8.18 |
| 17 | Madeline Schizas | Canada |
115.03 | 53.68 | 62.35 | 7.75 | 7.61 | 7.71 | 7.96 | 7.93 |
| 18 | Nicole Schott | Germany |
114.52 | 56.28 | 60.24 | 7.61 | 7.29 | 7.50 | 7.64 | 7.61 |
| 19 | Eva-Lotta Kiibus | Estonia |
112.20 | 54.27 | 58.93 | 7.43 | 7.11 | 7.36 | 7.46 | 7.46 |
| 20 | Eliška Březinová | Czech Republic |
111.10 | 54.81 | 58.29 | 7.36 | 7.07 | 7.25 | 7.43 | 7.32 |
| 21 | Alexia Paganini | Switzerland |
107.85 | 50.01 | 57.84 | 7.29 | 6.96 | 7.29 | 7.36 | 7.25 |
| 22 | Mana Kawabe | Japan |
104.04 | 47.87 | 60.17 | 7.86 | 7.54 | 7.25 | 7.64 | 7.32 |
| 23 | Alexandra Feigin | Bulgaria |
100.15 | 49.89 | 51.26 | 6.54 | 6.21 | 6.46 | 6.46 | 6.36 |
| 24 | Jenni Saarinen | Finland |
96.07 | 45.96 | 54.11 | 7.07 | 6.68 | 6.46 | 6.82 | 6.79 |
| DSQ[41] | Kamila Valieva | ROC |
Overall
| Rank | Skater | Nation | Total | SP | FS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Anna Shcherbakova | ROC |
255.95 | 1 | 80.20 | 2 | 175.75 |
 |
Alexandra Trusova | ROC |
251.73 | 3 | 74.60 | 1 | 177.13 |
 |
Kaori Sakamoto | Japan |
233.13 | 2 | 79.84 | 3 | 153.29 |
| 4 | Wakaba Higuchi | Japan |
214.44 | 4 | 73.51 | 5 | 140.93 |
| 5 | You Young | South Korea |
213.09 | 5 | 70.34 | 4 | 142.75 |
| 6 | Alysa Liu | United States |
208.95 | 7 | 69.50 | 6 | 139.45 |
| 7 | Loena Hendrickx | Belgium |
206.79 | 6 | 70.09 | 8 | 136.70 |
| 8 | Kim Ye-lim | South Korea |
202.63 | 8 | 67.78 | 10 | 134.85 |
| 9 | Mariah Bell | United States |
202.30 | 10 | 65.38 | 7 | 136.92 |
| 10 | Anastasiia Gubanova | Georgia |
200.98 | 9 | 65.40 | 9 | 135.58 |
| 11 | Ekaterina Kurakova | Poland |
185.84 | 23 | 59.08 | 11 | 126.76 |
| 12 | Viktoriia Safonova | Belarus |
184.83 | 16 | 61.46 | 12 | 123.37 |
| 13 | Olga Mikutina | Austria |
182.20 | 17 | 61.14 | 13 | 121.06 |
| 14 | Ekaterina Ryabova | Azerbaijan |
179.97 | 15 | 61.82 | 14 | 118.15 |
| 15 | Karen Chen | United States |
179.93 | 12 | 64.11 | 16 | 115.82 |
| 16 | Nicole Schott | Germany |
177.65 | 13 | 63.13 | 18 | 114.52 |
| 17 | Lindsay van Zundert | Netherlands |
175.81 | 21 | 59.24 | 15 | 116.57 |
| 18 | Madeline Schizas | Canada |
175.56 | 19 | 60.53 | 17 | 115.03 |
| 19 | Eliška Březinová | Czech Republic |
175.41 | 11 | 64.31 | 20 | 111.10 |
| 20 | Eva-Lotta Kiibus | Estonia |
171.75 | 20 | 59.55 | 19 | 112.20 |
| 21 | Alexia Paganini | Switzerland |
168.91 | 18 | 61.06 | 21 | 107.85 |
| 22 | Mana Kawabe | Japan |
166.73 | 14 | 62.69 | 22 | 104.04 |
| 23 | Alexandra Feigin | Bulgaria |
159.31 | 22 | 59.16 | 23 | 100.15 |
| 24 | Jenni Saarinen | Finland |
153.04 | 24 | 56.97 | 24 | 96.07 |
| 25 | Josefin Taljegård | Sweden |
54.51 | 25 | 54.51 | Did not advance to free skate | |
| 26 | Zhu Yi | China |
53.44 | 26 | 53.44 | ||
| 27 | Natasha McKay | Great Britain |
52.54 | 27 | 52.54 | ||
| 28 | Kailani Craine | Australia |
49.93 | 28 | 49.93 | ||
| 29 | Anastasiia Shabotova | Ukraine |
48.68 | 29 | 48.68 | ||
| DSQ | Kamila Valieva | ROC |
DSQ | DSQ | |||
Aftermath
Resolution of Kamila Valieva's positive drug test
On 15 February, after the short program, The New York Times reported that Kamila Valieva's sample tested positive for an additional two substances, hypoxen and L-Carnitine, which were not on the list of banned substances, in addition to trimetazidine.[43] The filing by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) indicated that her acknowledgement of having taken the two permitted substances undercut her testimony that the banned substance was ingested by error.[44] In mid-November, the WADA requested that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) take up a review of the case, seeking a four-year suspension of Valieva, which would exclude her from competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics, and disqualify all of her results dating back to the date of her positive drug test (25 December 2021). According to WADA President Witold Bańka, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) did not meet their deadline to deliver a verdict on Valieva's case.[45]
The decision of the CAS to allow Valieva to compete despite her positive test drew backlash across the sporting community and in the media, with some questioning as to whether Russia had been adequately punished for their statewide doping program.[46][47] While the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the Canadian Olympic Committee blasted the decision as a "disappointment" and "extremely unfortunate",[48][49] the Russian Olympic Committee vowed to take "comprehensive measures" to "keep the Olympic gold medal won [from the team event]".[50] Condemnation of the CAS decision also came from former and current figure skaters on social media,[51][52] although several skaters defended Valieva.[53][54] Some commenting on the situation suggested that blame should not rest with the 15-year-old Valieva, but rather with the Russian system and the coaches and doctors around her.[55][56][57] Due to Valieva being a minor, both WADA and RUSADA launched investigations into her entourage, which included coach Eteri Tutberidze and team doctor Filipp Shvetsky.[58] The Russian government and community remained steadfast in their support for Valieva. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov first referred to the situation as a "misunderstanding",[57] and later issued the following statement: "We boundlessly and fully support Kamila Valieva and call on everyone to support her. ... And we say to Kamila: Kamila, do not hide your face, you are Russian, walk proudly everywhere and, most importantly, perform and defeat everyone".[59][57]
On 15 February, after the short program, when asked about Valieva by the media, skaters largely tried to distance themselves from the situation, indicating that they preferred to focus on their own performances. A few athletes made references about supporting "clean sport" and a "level playing field".[34] Some expressed regret that no medal ceremony for the team event would be held.[60] Valieva herself did not speak with reporters or attend the press conference after the short program, where Anna Shcherbakova and Kaori Sakamoto also declined to comment.[60]
In a press conference the day after the free skate, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said he was very disturbed by the "chilling atmosphere" surrounding Valieva as Eteri Tutberidze berated her following the mistake-filled performance that resulted in her finishing in fourth place.[61][62] Bach also insinuated that her coaches likely played a role in her positive test, saying that "doping is very rarely done alone with the athletes",[63] and that "the ones who have administered this drug in her body, these are the ones who are guilty."[64] The Kremlin responded that "harshness of a coach in high-level sport is key for their athletes to achieve victories" and that Tutberidze's athletes were seeing strong results.[65] Tutberidze herself claimed to be "at a loss" regarding Bach's comments.[66] Some Western media outlets pointed to the extreme emotional reactions of the three Russian skaters as further evidence of the extreme pressure they were under to deliver results, as well as the abuse to which they were subjected: Anna Shcherbakova stated that she felt empty inside, Alexandra Trusova could be heard shouting that she "hated the sport" and swore she would never skate again, and Valieva broke down sobbing.[62][38]
In January 2023, RUSADA cleared Valieva of any wrongdoing. Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency stated: "WADA and the ISU [International Skating Union] have to appeal this decision, for the sake of the credibility of the anti-doping system and the rights of all athletes. The world can't possibly accept this self-serving decision by RUSADA, which in the recent past has been a key instrument of Russia's state-sponsored doping fraud and is non-compliant. Justice demands a full, fair, public hearing outside of Russia."[67] Tygart criticized both WADA and the ISU for not taking the matter directly to the CAS: "You know, both [WADA and the ISU] could have gone directly to [the CAS], and taken [the decision] out of Russian hands ... Because we knew, you can't have a non-compliant [organization] making a fair, balanced decision."[68] On 29 January 2024, the CAS disqualified Valieva for four years retroactive to 25 December 2021 for the positive test for trimetazidine, which they ruled constituted an anti-doping rule violation.[9] On 30 January 2024, the ISU, among other actions, voided Valieva's fourth-place finish in the women's competition.[69]
Increase to minimum age requirement
At the ISU Congress held in June 2022, members of the ISU Council accepted a proposal to gradually increase the minimum age for senior competition to seventeen beginning with the 2024–2025 season. In order to avoid forcing skaters who had already competed at the senior level to return to the junior level, the age limit remained unchanged during the 2022–2023 season, before increasing to sixteen for the 2023–2024 season, and then to seventeen for the 2024–2025 season.[70] Although there had been previous proposals to increase this age limit, the 2022 vote gained traction following the 2022 Winter Olympics, where Kamila Valieva had only been fifteen years old when she competed.[71]