Team USA’s figure skating team will have to wait to receive their Olympic medals.
They lost their appeal to force the Olympic Committee to grant them their silver medal before the games end this weekend.
The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal for a medal ceremony filed by Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim, and Vincent Zhou,according to NBC News.
The skaters finished second in the team event on Feb. 7. However, the medal ceremony did not take place because a Russian skater, Kamila Valieva, tested positive for a banned drug. As the Russian Olympic Committee won first place in the team event, the IOC announced there would be no podium ceremony until Valieva’s case is resolved, the New York Times reported.
The Team USA skaters also sent a letter to Thomas Bach, the IOC president, saying that IOC’s “own rules mandate that a victory ceremony ‘to present medals to the athletes shall follow the conclusion of each sports event,'” according to the Bleacher Report.
Although Bach offered alternative mementos as a substitute item to keep until the final ruling of Valieva’s case, the U.S skating team does not want to wait months or even years for the silver medal, according to the Bleacher Report.
The CAS said the panels will publish a further explanation of their decision in the next few days, which could be after the closing ceremony, the New York Times reports.
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