I wrote about one thing today… In terms of what to watch out for tonight. Check out my Twitter Threads at the end of this email or on Twitter or follow along with the Google Doc
WE ARE ALL JOHNNY WEIR AND TARA LIPINSKI ..
I remember watching the Olympics since the early 1990s (like Lindsey and Nick I’m an 80 baby) but I never have watched the Olympic with such hate and vile as I did this morning watching Women’s Figure Skating.
And Thank God Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski were there for me today…
I applaud Johnny and Tara who had been strong on Twitter for their announcing today and it was very surreal hearing them discuss it as she was competing.
Washington Post wrote it up here: the beginning of the broadcast which I missed because I was sleeping. I assume we will see this again in primetime tonight.
“We have to remind ourselves that she is just 15 years old, a minor, and I know more than anyone what it’s like to compete at an Olympic Games at 15 years old,” Lipinski told viewers. “But a positive [drug] test is a positive test. She cannot skate.”
Johnny per Washington Post writeup
“The Olympics were everything that I ever dreamed about, everything that kept me going on the day-to-day,” Weir said, “and to have that experience and that feeling … diminished because of a positive drug test on one of your competitors when everyone else adheres to the rules … it’s a slap in the face to every other skater.”
Johnny and Tara are not alone. USA Today reporter Christine Brennan has been dropping truth bombs on Twitter and in print all Olympics long as she continues to break things from the Figure Skating venue.
As the Russian Skater who failed a drug test performed- Johnny kept saying she is only here because of a court. . The. Court of Arbitration of Sport used an "legal out" to allow her Skate at the Olympics….and that legal out might have ruined the Olympics. To put another way there is a chance the Court of Arbitration of Sport might have just become the modern day Pontius Pilate and the sacrifice could have been 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
Let me take a step back … I love the Olympics. Everyone who follow me on twitter should know that. For the 3 weeks it is happening PURE BLISS….EVERYONE AROUND THE PLANET AND IN THE USA IS FOCUSED ON IT and WE CHEER AND CRY FINDING THE MOMENTS THAT BRING OUT THE BEST IN HUMANITY.
Just look at these tweets this from the IOC spokesperson in terms of how much Olympics were consumed in the first week
Which brings me to my theory. Let us call it “The Lord of the Rings theory”.
77% of people said they watched Lord of the Rings (The same number of people who may have watched the Olympics) and out of that 77% I think maybe 1% read the book. I myself tried twice and failed.
There is a legal justification for what the Court of Arbitration and Sport is doing with this matter but this only makes sense to the 1% who read the LOTR book.
In creating @TeamUSATracker I try to appeal to the 77% of fans who are here for LOTR movie and they are not going to stick around to read the book on CAS, WADA, and IOC rulebook and because this skater is allowed to compete this 77% of fans might turn off the Olympics this year or next time.
So this how I think the typical fan sees this case and why it is so damaging to the Olympic Movement (I have not been using her name because she is protected)
She cheated and the clear punishment for that is being banned from the Games. Not being banned could even be racist. Christian Coleman, Sha’carri Richardson, Briana McNeal- All Black American Track & Field Athletes were banned from Tokyo re doping violations but the White Russian girl does not get banned.
It is Russia… It is a country the IOC says can’t be called Russia because they doped up all the athletes in Sochi. C’mon IOC if you really want to punish them now is a perfect time - Russia is a repeat doping offender. Ban them from all the Team Events if you don’t recognize Russia. Strip all their medals away in the Team Events like Team Figure Skating and Team Pursuit (they beat the USA in both) .
Mike Tirico is explaining to the audience the skater is allowed to compete for two reasons - 1) because of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) failed to act properly. How does the Russian Anti-Doping Agency even exist? I’ve seen Icarus. 2) She is too young. She is a protected person by WADA. The solution is raise the competitive age of the Olympic Games to 18, But NOT SO FAST. It is actually not the IOC that determines the age qualification for the sport. For Figure Skating it is the International Skating Union who puts out the age requirements and rules for the sports in advance of the Olympics games. I’ve read these documents carefully because I am interested in how many Olympic spots Team USA might get in that sport.
If you didn’t click on the link above this is what it says before the Age Requirement….
All athletes must comply with the provisions of the Olympic Charter currently in force included but not limited to, Rule 41 (Nationality of Competitors) and Rule 43 (World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of Manipulation of Competitions). Only these athletes who comply with the Olympic Charter may participate in the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 (OWG).
She DIDN’T. Seems like an open and shut case of why this Russian skater can not compete.
I know there is a good chance this skater might never receive the 2 Gold Medals she will win at the Olympics and they will give the rightful 2nd place winners a medal in the mail including Nathan Chen will win Two Gold Medals at one Olympics (a record for any American figure skater).
But I am someone who watched Lance Armstrong win 7 Tour De Frances. The 7 Tour de France Victories by Lance Armstrong - the ICU - could not give away to another rider because the doping was so bad in the sport. See their statement here
The International Cycling Union's management committee said it understands that "a cloud of suspicion would remain hanging over this dark period [1998-2005] — but that while this might appear harsh for those who rode clean, they would understand there was little honor to be gained in reallocating places."
There are a lot of fans because of this point believe Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France because they saw it & it later came out the whole sport was tainted.
So I go to back to the “Lord of the Rings theory “
77% of world will see this skater from Russia win the medal and only 1% of the world will notice when the real GOLD medal winner gets the medal mailed to them.
She should have never been allowed to skate because she just took a GOLD medal moment away from 10 athletes including 9 Americans.
The 9 Americans who are Gold Medalists from this OWG Nathan Chen, Vincent Zhou, Madison Chock/Evan Bates, Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue, Alexa Knierim/Brandon Frazier, and Karen Chen. Maybe instead of the Free Skate, NBC can just replay the team competition that Team USA won Gold.
DAY 12 PREVIEW…
I sent them out on Twitter but here are two threads ICYMI:
TEAM EVENTS
INDIVIDUAL EVENTS