- Just setting up various posts for today -- obviously, and would not be shocked if this is during the Super Bowl itself, with 3:30 PM Pacific (about kickoff) being 7:30 AM Monday in Beijing, if the Valieva decision actually comes during the game.
- However it is ruled today, the people around Valieva will be placed under investigation, it is noted. And this is why Russia should be disqualified, at absolute minimum, from the entire figure-skating program. Valieva could not have possibly consented to any of this. This came from coaches and above, as part of Russia's continued sporting drug programs. (The only difference in the USA is that, in the USA, it is basically the athletes on an athlete-by-athlete basis. This is state-sponsored.)
- It appears the "closed loop" has worked, as the number of new COVID cases in the Games' closed loop has been under ten each of the last three days, three on Sunday.
- And the improvements (allegedly) continue -- either they're no longer bothering testing or whatever, but Beijing's organizers now say there are no new cases in the "closed loop".
- Erin Jackson's story ends with gold. Given her spot by an American teammate after falling at the Trials, Jackson wins the 500 meter long-track women's speed-skating event.
- Latest word from Inside the Games, just after the completion of Super Bowl Refball Again, is that the decision on Valieva is now expected somewhere around 2 PM Beijing time today. That would be about 10 PM Pacific time Sunday night -- or about 2 hours and 15 minutes after I post this.
- The decision will only be on the provisional suspension, meaning that the IOC is talking to Japan and the USA to see if they want to hold the medal ceremony for the team at all, given that it now appears that, for Beijing purposes, Russia probably will get to keep the medal. Russia did not agree to a full case study on the merits of the case, meaning the only thing the CAS can probably do is determine Valieva's eligibility going forward.
- Given that the total medal revocation for the entire Sochi rigging of the Olympic Winter Games now stands, because of a CAS appeal which largely exonerated the athletes AND the ROC (putting it squarely at the feet of Putin -- which then WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU THROW RUSSIA OUT OF THE MOVEMENT ENTIRELY FOR POLITICAL AND GOVERNMENTAL INTERFERENCE???) and allowed the Russian medals to be kept, at 2... I'm almost expecting Valieva literally skates, and a number of countries drop out of the women's competition entirely in protest.
- As we await the decision, former WADA head and current longest-serving IOC member Richard Pound has called for a temporary full expulsion of Russia from the Olympic movement. ... the only correct response.
- NO SUSPENSION -- VALIEVA CAN COMPETE. And you might as well just give Russia all three medals now and save the women's competition the bother.
- The only thing that can happen now is a nullification at a later date and a later CAS hearing. She all but certainly will win double gold here, and that will have to be dealt with afterward.
- You realize what you have here. Since the CAS rulings on Sochi, basically it is now legal to dope as long as it is a full governmental agency doing it as a precondition of selection to the Olympic team. If you can separate the governmental insistence and institution of doping from the National Olympic Committee, and keep the athletes basically out of the loop on it on top of it, you're fine! Double the points if you can start the program WADA-underage!
- There have already been two official IOC protests. If (more like when) Valieva medals in the women's competition, no medal ceremony will be held at all, and a medal ceremony will, instead, be scheduled months/years down the road once the case is cleared.
- And the team figure skating medals ceremony will not be awarded in Beijing either.
They did have some sports on the field for the Games today:
- The Norwegians hold a narrow nine golds to eight lead over Germany to top the medal table. The United States has now officially exceeded expectations (who could've said that after about Day 3 or 4??) with seven golds.
- The United States, with it's 1-2 finish in the women's monobob, now has seven golds and is third in the table. Netherlands has six. Austria, Sweden, and the hosts have five each.
- Total: Norway leads with 21. The illegal Russian team has 18. Four medals today for the USA gives them 16, third in the total. Germany, Canada and Austria have 15. Canada's total is two-thirds bronze.
- Eight gold medals to be decided in Day 11, including the women's downhill, the large hill Nordic Combined event, the team pursuit speedskating, and snowboard Big Air competitions for both genders...
- And the March of the Drugged Russian Regime Girls starts in the women's figure skating.
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