“It just questions the entire integrity of the Olympic movement,” said Team USA coach and former Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon. “This is not a punishment. [ROC athletes] just have to wear an ugly sweatsuit … The people round her have totally failed her.”
Former Team USA figure skater Adam Rippon weighed in on the controversy surrounding Russian skater Kamila Valieva. Valieva was found to have failed a drug test for banned substances in December, but a Swiss court recently ruled her eligible to compete in the Winter Olympics.
“It’s completely unprecedented that there would be an athlete with a positive test still competing,” said Rippon. “Let alone competing at an Olympic Games. It just questions the entire integrity of the Olympic movement.”
“What we’re seeing now are the repercussions of no punishment, no action being truly taken,” he said.
Rippon won a bronze medal in the figure skating team event at Pyeongchang 2018 and currently serves as a coach for Team USA.
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