Russian snowboarder Vic Wild, two-time Olympic champion in Sochi and bronze medalist of the Beijing Games, supported figure skater Kamila Valieva, who was at the center of a scandal after publishing a dubious doping test. Wilde took to his Instagram story to describe the pressure he faced ahead of the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang amid the Russian doping scandal.
“The worst thing for an athlete is to sit and wait, not knowing whether they will let you speak or not. Before the 2018 Olympics, journalists, mostly from the USA, constantly called me and told me that I was on some suspicious doping lists. And that I have to confess everything myself, ”wrote Wilde.
Photo: instagram.com/vicwild According to the athlete, in fact, it turned out that they were bluffing so that he would give an interview in order to tell something bad about Russian sports. “Plus, there was talk about whether Russia would even be admitted to the Games. As a result, I went to the Olympics exhausted. I can imagine how stressed figure skater Kamila Valieva is. I would like to wish good luck to this girl, ”added Wilde.
The IOC twice postponed the awarding of Russian figure skaters who won gold in the Olympic team tournament on February 7.
On Wednesday, the portal Inside The Games reported that the delay of the awards ceremony arose due to a problem with a doping test of one of the Russian figure skaters. Later, the publication clarified that this was a doping test for Valieva. As The Guardian wrote, we are talking about a drug that does not affect athletic performance.
The IOC on Thursday called publications about the suspicious doping test of the figure skater speculation.
On Thursday, Valieva went to training for the first time after the team tournament. The press attache of the Russian Figure Skating Federation, Olga Yermolina, said that Valieva was not suspended from competition in women's singles.
Wild played for the United States until the 2010/11 season, and in 2012 received a Russian passport after marrying snowboarder Alena Zavarzina. At the 2018 Olympics, due to a doping scandal, the Russians performed in the status of “Olympic Athletes from Russia” (OAR) under a neutral flag, some athletes were refused invitations to the Games by the IOC.
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