Russian Figure Skater Fails Pre-Olympic Drug Test, Gets To Keep On Competing Anyway

Drugs are bad, and you should just say no to them. Unless, it seems, you are a Russian figure skater.

Or at least unless you're Russian figure skating star Kamila Valieva, who failed a pre-Olympics drug test, but who has now been cleared to continue strutting her stuff at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. 

So, how did this happen? Well, the governing body that rules on these things decided that not competing threatens “irreparable harm” to Valieva's career. (In the event failing a drug test isn't enough.)

The timing of the failed test was also taken into consideration by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Valieva is, after all, just 15 years old.

But here's where it gets extra interesting. Because of the failed test, the International Olympic Committee ruled that, should Valieva win a gold medal, no medal ceremony will follow. "A decision will be made on Russia’s team figure skating gold medal once the case has been resolved, which could take months," wrote the Daily Wire.

Now that Valieva's reputation has suffered irreparable harm by being dragged through the mud on OutKick (not really), you can catch her next in Tuesday's women’s singles event. 

She may do drugs, but they're clearly not all bad, as far as some competition committees are concerned.

“The Panel considered fundamental principles of fairness, proportionality, irreparable harm, and the relative balance of interests as between the Applicants and the Athlete, who did not test positive during the Olympic Games in Beijing and is still subject to a disciplinary procedure on the merits following the positive anti-doping test undertaken in December 2021; in particular, the Panel considered that preventing the Athlete from competing at the Olympic Games would cause her irreparable harm in these circumstances,” the CAS said in a press release.

Yeah, sure. Skate on.

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