Court of Arbitration rejected the appeal of U.S. figure skaters

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected an appeal filed by nine American figure skaters against the silver medal ceremony in team competition at the Beijing Olympics after the ruling in the case of Russian Kamila Valieva was postponed.

U.S. skaters Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Fraser, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knirim and Vincent Zhou placed second in the competition held Feb. 7.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided that no medals for the competition will be awarded until the 15-year-old Russian’s case is resolved, which could take weeks or months.

“The IOC’s Feb. 14, 2022 decision not to hold an awards ceremony in the team figure skating competition during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics remains in effect,” the Court of Arbitration for Sport said in a statement issued after a hearing with experts.

Japan finished third in the competition, while Canada finished fourth.

CAS director general Mathieu Reeb said the application was not filed by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, but by nine members of the team.

Valieva tested positive for a banned drug after participating in the Russian national championships on Dec. 25, but her result was not known until Feb. 8, the day after the team competition in Beijing.

Valiyeva was cleared by CAS to compete in the women’s singles competition, but stumbled during her performance and placed fourth.