By Karolos Grohmann
PARIS (Reuters) – The IOC has asked sport’s top court to get a quick ruling on a Canadian appeal to be awarded the bronze medal from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics figure skating team event following a Russian doping case, it said on Tuesday.
The International Olympic Committee has already planned a medal ceremony on Aug. 7 in Paris where the U.S. figure skating team will receive their gold medal.
Japan will get the silver after also being upgraded, more than two years after Russian teenager Kamila Valieva was found guilty of doping and her team downgraded to third place.
It was thought that Canada, who finished fourth, would be promoted to bronze but the International Skating Union said the Russian team’s total score even after Valieva’s marks were erased was still a point better than the Canadians.
Skate Canada has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“We really hope they (CAS) get it done quickly,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams told a press conference on Tuesday. “We have asked for it to be expedited. Everybody wants it to happen.
“Clearly we knew these Games were coming up. We wanted it done as quickly as possible. We hope justice will be done as quickly as possible.”
At the Beijing Games, Valieva was found guilty of doping earlier in the season and was banned for four years thus removing Russia as winners of the team event.
“Sadly, or not sadly, it is not our responsibility. CAS is independent of the IOC,” Adams said.
“It is in front of an appeal by two sides. We did not want to be in this position either. We hope the bronze can be allocated when it is but it is a matter for CAS.”
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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