Adelina Sotnikova cleared of doping charge by IOC

[Sylvia]

https://www.insidethegames.biz/arti...e-by-ioc-but-four-russian-skiers-disqualified

International Olympic Committee (IOC) Disciplinary Committee proceedings have been dropped against Sochi 2014 figure skating champion Adelina Sotnikova today.
Four cross-country skiers - including three-time Olympic silver medallist Maxim Vylegzhanin as well as Alexey Petukhov, Julia Ivanova and Evgenia Shapovalova - have been disqualified and stripped of medals, however.
Sotnikova, who was 17 when she won in Sochi, was named in an evidence disclosure package published alongside the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-commissioned McLaren Report as one athlete about whom scratches indicative of tampering were found on test tubes in which urine samples were submitted.
insidethegames understands that former Moscow laboratory director turned whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov said she was not part of the programme.

 

[Ka3sha]

Adelina's current coach, Evgeny Plushenko, said that lawyers did a great job and thanked them, they are happy with this decision.
http://tass.ru/sport/4714950

 

[Vash01]

Good for her. I hope better days ahead.

 

[Coco]

This program has really aged well, imo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlrJLqEy5is

 

[Coquelicot14]

Finally! It's about time!
Now I want to see all of those publishing negative articles and posts about her take back their words.

 

[Coquelicot14]

Good for her. I hope better days ahead.

I have to say, this girl is tough and resiliant, she's made the best of her victory and took on every opportunity this brought, magazines, tv shows, everything. Cudos to her for being a bright and positive person despite the negativity some foreign press agencies tried to shed on her victory.

 

[lala]

https://www.insidethegames.biz/arti...e-by-ioc-but-four-russian-skiers-disqualified

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

Terrific news!

And I too hope those that wrote such negative things about Adelina will take it back now!

 

[Spun Silver]

Wonderful news. I am so happy for her!

 

[SmallFairy]

Brilliant!

 

[caseyedwards]

It’s very interesting. She was only cleared based on rodchenkov statements and all the others convicted solely on rodchenkov statements. It’s too much power for one person.

 

[misskarne]

And I too hope those that wrote such negative things about Adelina will take it back now!

Yeah...that's never gonna happen.

It's about time, too, considering they never had even so much as a speck of proof. What'd they have, one tiny scratch on a bottle that could have been caused by the lid being closed too tightly? That was it. No proof. 'course it didn't stop people from slinging her name everywhere because they hoped so hard.

Wonder if Adelina's running a checklist. Death threats, check. Ongoing abuse that's still happening four years later, check. Pathetic witch-hunt on no evidence? Check. Bet nobody told her having the skate of her life on the most important night of all would result in this.

 

[Rock2]

This program has really aged well, imo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlrJLqEy5is

Thanks for this.

For all the talk of the LP comparisons, I forgot all details of her short.
My only nit pick is her shoulders were high for a lot of the skate,which is likely nerves and partly her skating style. Outside of that there were a lot of great things in this program, especially her speed, the size of the first toe and the final position on her flying camel, something I connected more to Farris, but she does much better.

That was an excellent short.

 

[Coquelicot14]

Yeah...that's never gonna happen...
Wonder if Adelina's running a checklist. Death threats, check. Ongoing abuse that's still happening four years later, check. Pathetic witch-hunt on no evidence? Check.

This is so true. Something needs to be done to prevent this. This is cyber bullying plain and simple. I am for bringing those responsible to some kind of accountability.
Some press publications, posters, reporters are out of control and need to lose their credentials.
Witchhunting is becoming the norm nowadays and it is simply not acceptable in our day and age.

How many of them going to post retractions, corrections, apologies?

 

[Spun Silver]

This program has really aged well, imo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlrJLqEy5is

And how! She was glorious even without ever reaching her fullest potential. The first and the best of the baby Russians for me.

 

[Perky Shae Lynn]

Yeah...that's never gonna happen.

It's about time, too, considering they never had even so much as a speck of proof. What'd they have, one tiny scratch on a bottle that could have been caused by the lid being closed too tightly? That was it. No proof. 'course it didn't stop people from slinging her name everywhere because they hoped so hard.

Wonder if Adelina's running a checklist. Death threats, check. Ongoing abuse that's still happening four years later, check. Pathetic witch-hunt on no evidence? Check. Bet nobody told her having the skate of her life on the most important night of all would result in this.

This, a million times. But of course nobody will apologize or take their disgusting words back.

 

[Marco]

She was glorious even without ever reaching her fullest potential. The first and the best of the baby Russians for me.

YES

 

[greenapple]

From the outset of the doping scandal, Adelina was never on my radar. The unfounded allegations levied against her by so many and the reposting of Korean propaganda and accusatory tone of many former skaters - particularly from America...she was never on anyone's radar to win Olympic gold, but she did. So happy her name has been cleared.

 

[chapis]

Unfortunately the damage is already done, the news that she is innocent reminds me of the end of the movie The Truman Show https://youtu.be/-_zYn-HHcyA?t=300

 

[Birdseye]

This program has really aged well, imo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlrJLqEy5is

I always felt this was a strong program and she did deserve to be in 3rd place after the short. I just always questioned the component marks she received and I think most would agree that Kostner and Kim were miles ahead artistically and that there should have been a bigger gap. Although seeing some of the scores they're throwing about these days, it doesn't seem as inflated.

 

[Skittl1321]

Glad to hear. I like to think figure skating is a clean sport. I hope it stays that way.

 

[NAOTMAA]

I'm happy for Adelina but it's far too late to make any difference.

Four years of tarring and feathering it's ingrained in people's brains. They will still repeat the same shit over and over no matter how many times you try to correct them. They probably call you a Kremlin agent.

And will they mention any of this at the Olympics when they talk about ladies skating? No doubt they will talk about the so called controversy (to muddy things for the current Russian girls a well) with an anti-Russian slant but will they specify that Adelina was cleared without sounding hesitant and not try to passively burry it? Outside of perhaps Johnny Weir I wouldn't count on it.

 

[Coquelicot14]

Adelina wasn't the only one whose name was dragged into this witch hunt either, the same happened with Bobrova. She was cleared, but lost a whole competitive season!

I agree Naotmaa, outside of Johnny and maybe Tara, it will be used as propaganda.

 

[jewel_brite]

https://www.insidethegames.biz/arti...e-by-ioc-but-four-russian-skiers-disqualified

I always felt Adelina had won. To me, it was similar to the Tara-Michelle situation in 1998. Adelina's programs were filled with technical content and she skated with speed, uninhibited joy and verve. Yu Na Kim's technical content was similar to her 2010 program, even though she was capable of upping her technical content. I think she and her coaches figured her artistry would push her above everybody else. She skated elegantly but cautiously and with restraint. At times she looked scared and did not project the lovely personality that she did in 2010. In 2010, Yu Na skated with the fire that Adelina skated in 2014. It is like what Scott Hamilton said of the Tara/Michelle placement controversy, and I'm paraphrasing: one girl skated as if she was protecting the gold; the other skated like she was going for the gold. That sums up Adelina/Yu Na Kim on the night of the long program. Adelina went for the gold; Yu Na was protecting the gold.

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

I always felt Adelina had won. To me, it was similar to the Tara-Michelle situation in 1998. Adelina's programs were filled with technical content and she skated with speed, uninhibited joy and verve. Yu Na Kim's technical content was similar to her 2010 program, even though she was capable of upping her technical content. I think she and her coaches figured her artistry would push her above everybody else. She skated elegantly but cautiously and with restraint. At times she looked scared and did not project the lovely personality that she did in 2010. In 2010, Yu Na skated with the fire that Adelina skated in 2014. It is like what Scott Hamilton said of the Tara/Michelle placement controversy, and I'm paraphrasing: one girl skated as if she was protecting the gold; the other skated like she was going for the gold. That sums up Adelina/Yu Na Kim on the night of the long program. Adelina went for the gold; Yu Na was protecting the gold.

ITA.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Skaters and men ice hockey team, was cleared by Rodchenkov long time ago (spring 2017, if i am not mistaking), this part of his report never received wide media coverage. Sotnikova's probe bottle did have scratches, but Rodchenkov said it must be something accidental and that skaters had nothing to do with doping since the "cocktail he developed" was not intended for their purposes. That's great for Sotnikova and skaters, but leaves a question that "a scratch on an athlete's probe does not mean manipulation or participation in the scheme....." and that such decisions are made on his word solely... .

Here is a quote from Rodchenkov's statement:

According to Grigory Rodchenkov — the whistle-blower who headed Russia’s antidoping lab and devised the infamous drug cocktail distributed to dozens of Olympians at the 2014 Sochi Games — figure skaters did not take his concoction of liquor and steroids. Nor did the men’s hockey team, he said.

In sports like figure skating, anabolic steroids can be of little value.

Skaters and men ice hockey were unofficially cleared for Olympics even before December meeting (I just did not post it then because i wanted "caseyedwards" to keep on dreaming and to get his/hopes high... )

 

[caseyedwards]

Skaters and men ice hockey team, was cleared by Rodchenkov long time ago (spring 2017, if i am not mistaking), this part of his report never received wide media coverage. Sotnikova's probe bottle did have scratches, but Rodchenkov said it must be something accidental and that skaters had nothing to do with doping since the "cocktail he developed" was not intended for their purposes. That's great for Sotnikova and skaters, but leaves a question that "a scratch on an athlete's probe does not mean manipulation or participation in the scheme....." and that such decisions are made on his word solely... .

Here is a quote from Rodchenkov's statement:



Skaters and men ice hockey were unofficially cleared for Olympics even before December meeting (I just did not post it then because i wanted "caseyedwards" to keep on dreaming and to get his/hopes high... )

Nobody has been cleared. The panel will decide that.

 

[Artifice]

I always felt Adelina had won. To me, it was similar to the Tara-Michelle situation in 1998. Adelina's programs were filled with technical content and she skated with speed, uninhibited joy and verve. Yu Na Kim's technical content was similar to her 2010 program, even though she was capable of upping her technical content. I think she and her coaches figured her artistry would push her above everybody else. She skated elegantly but cautiously and with restraint. At times she looked scared and did not project the lovely personality that she did in 2010. In 2010, Yu Na skated with the fire that Adelina skated in 2014. It is like what Scott Hamilton said of the Tara/Michelle placement controversy, and I'm paraphrasing: one girl skated as if she was protecting the gold; the other skated like she was going for the gold. That sums up Adelina/Yu Na Kim on the night of the long program. Adelina went for the gold; Yu Na was protecting the gold.

Agree.
Adelina skated a technically superior routine with an interesting choreography and a powerfull interpretation. While Yu Na, as elegant and physically powerfull as she is, didn't look as convinced, and technically it was a little under Adelina. It was probably a close fight but I don't get why Adelina was so outragely under evaluated by many commentators, except of politics. Sport is sport and Adelina deserved her medal, even if some can believe it was a short call with Yu Na, but such bashing over the russian was very unfair to the girls.

 

[triple]

The fact that she scored waaay above her personal best, plus never winning any major GOLD medal after (and even before) the OGM, is very telling. I’m sorry Adelina received unnecessary bullying, but her Olympic gold, doping or not, will remain very questionable for many years to come.

 

[Lchan]

I'm glad she's been cleared: I don't want to believe that the OGM was awarded through cheating.

The fact that she scored waaay above her personal best, plus never winning any major GOLD medal after (and even before) the OGM, is very telling. I’m sorry Adelina received unnecessary bullying, but her Olympic gold, doping or not, will remain very questionable for many years to come.

I have to say that she's surely not the first or last OGM to have minimal other titles. I wouldn't take that as good evidence of wrong-doing. Particularly given the undoubted depth of talent among the Russian women at the moment.