Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old majestic Russian ice skater, failed to win a medal as her final free skate ended with an uncharacteristically bad performance.
The Russian coaches and the Russian Olympic Committee should be held accountable for this young skater failing a drug test.
The IOC should also be held accountable for allowing this 15-year-old to skater to perform in the final after so much controversy was caused surrounding her after the failed drug test.
Watching her routine, American commentators Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski were shocked and heartbroken for Valieva, but not surprised by how badly she performed being such a young girl in the midst of so much controversy.
Mike Tirico said it best: Kamila "is the victim of the villains in the Beijing Olympics. The grown-ups in the IOC and in Russia failed to protect this young woman and that is the real story."
Russia has been banned from competing as a country because of their systemic doping program uncovered in the Sochi games in 2014.
After Valieva failed her test, the IOC should have sent a clear message to Russia by disqualifying her and her coaches. Even though the Gold and Silver medal winners from the ROC didn't fail a test, it still puts a cloud over their performances.
However, the only person that seemed to be punished was this young, magnificent skater.
I was almost brought to tears watching her collapse after she completed her free skate. Her ice-cold coaches instead of helping her, criticized her as she came off the ice.
Valieva's devastation was palpable as she collapsed in tears while the rest of the ROC team stayed away.
The president of the International Olympic Committee weighed in and bashed the Russians on how badly they supported the skater.
Her anguish only grew when she left the ice and her coach, Eteri Tutberidze, immediately began interrogating her in Russian in a scene that was captured by television cameras.
“Why did you stop fighting?” Tutberidze asked. “Explain it to me, why? You let it go after that axel.” Valieva did not reply.
Bach said it was “chilling” to see the coldness with which Valieva was received by Tutberidze and other Russian skating officials after her performance.
“All of this does not give me confidence in this entourage of Kamila,” Bach said, “neither with regard to what happened in the past, nor as far as it concerns the future.” of their young star.
“I was very very disturbed yesterday when I watched the competition on TV,” Bach said.
I've a few words for Mr. Bach. Why would you put this 15-year-old in the situation in the first life after she failed a drug test?
Instead of attacking the Russians who failed to do their duty you also failed miserably.
And a young girl pays the price.
