Syed Jaffer Imam

Seoul, South Korea

South Korea’s figure skating star Kim Yuna will marry her boyfriend Ko Woo Rim in a private ceremony in October this year. On July 25, Kim Yuna’s management agency, ‘All That Sports’, announced that the wedding ceremony will take place in the presence of family and close friends. Ko Woo Rim’s record label associate company also announced the wedding on Monday. Kim Yuna, the two-time Olympic Medalist, met Ko Woo Rim, the popular Korean singer, during 'All That Skate' ice show in 2018. At that event, Kim showed her class on the ice rink. That was the first time since her retirement in 2013 that she ice-skated. Ko Woo Rim’s band Forestella presented a celebratory performance at that event. It was reported that the couple started dating in 2021 but the agencies announced that they are in a relationship for 3 years. Beat Interactive, the record label of Ko Woo Rim said in their official announcement, ''We are announcing the good news about our artist Ko Woo Rim. Ko Woo Rim will tie the knot with ‘Figure Skating Queen’ Kim Yuna this October. The wedding will be held in private with close friends and family so please understand that we can’t notify the exact date and place of the wedding.'',Also Read: Forestella: All you need to know about South Korean quarter, members,In an official announcement, Kim Yuna's management agency said, ‘’In late October in Seoul, Kim Yuna will be getting married to vocalist Ko Woo Rim. Both Kim Yuna and Ko Woo Rim want to hold an ordinary wedding ceremony with family and close friends, so we will be carrying out the ceremony in private. We ask for understanding from the fans.'',Ko Woo Rim is a popular Korean vocalist and the youngest member of the Forestella, the male vocal quartet that won ‘Phantom Singer 2’ in 2017. Kim Yuna, the gold medalist in Vancouver Olympics 2014, is the only female figure skater to win all international major competitions including Olympics, world championships, and ISU Grand Prix.

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<ul>
 <li>Olympic Gold medalist Kim Yuna to tie the knot with famous vocalist Ko Woo Rim</li>
 <li>Kim Yuna and Ko Woo Rim met at a skating event in 2018 for the first time</li>
 <li>The wedding ceremony will take place in 'late October' this year</li>
</ul>

Opoyi Central

Kim Yuna-Ko Woo Rim relationship timeline

KPop

KpopNews

MusicBand

FigureSkating

SouthKorea

Sports

Entertainment

Ko Woo Rim is a South Korean singer and the youngest member of the boyband Forestella. He is also an independent artist, having signed an exclusive contract with Beat Interactive for his solo productions. ,This year, he and his girlfriend, figure skater Kim Yuna announced that the two of them are planning on getting married in a private ceremony in October, 2022. Also Read: Figure skating body revises age criteria after Kamila Valieva controversy,As a child, Rim was musically-inclined thanks to his mother, who is a classically-trained former singer. While he first started by learning the piano with intention of becoming a pianist, thanks to the encouragement from his middle school homeroom teacher, he ended up taking vocal lessons after she heard him sing. Subsequently, Rim was enrolled at the Gyeongbuk Arts High School where he specialised in vocals. During his time at Gyeongbuk Arts, he entered regional and national singing competitions. ,He joined the Seoul National University in 2015 as a voice major. It was there that he met future LA POEM member, Park Ki Hun. The following year, the two entered the Toulouse International Singing Competition in France, along with Letteamor member Gil Byeong Min. The competition was Kim's first competition abroad. He did well, reaching the semi-finals. ,From 2017 to 2018, Kim entered the Phantom Singer competition. His return from Toulouse made him feel that being only a classical singer was limiting and hence he wanted to challenge himself. He auditioned for Phantom Singer with two other SNU singers. While he passed the auditions, he was eliminated during the '1vs1' where he lost to EDITION member Sime Kosta. However, judges gave him a a free pass preventing his elimination. He was drafted to sing a duet by Cho Min Kyu in a duet competition. Prior to the finals, Forestella was formed. At the finals, the newly formed boyband took to the stage and won. ,Also Read: Forestella: All you need to know about South Korean quarter, members,In March 2018, Forestella debuted their first studio album, Evolution. That same year, Kim took part in the Don Giovanni opera, playing Don Pedro/Il Commendatore at his debut performance at the Seoul Arts Center.

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Rwit 

<ul>
 <li>The vocalist initially wanted to be a pianist because he was shy</li>
 <li>He will be marrying his girlfriend, figure skater Yuna Kim in October, 2022</li>
 <li>He joined Forestella in 2018 before the finals of Phantom Singer 2</li>
</ul>

Who is Ko Woo Rim?

Skating

France

World

Singer

Deeksha Sharma

Phuket, Thailand

Following a proposal, the International Skating Union (ISU) has decided to increase the minimum age of Olympic-level skating professionals who will be competing in the sport’s major events, according to a report by People. ,The vote was held on Tuesday at a meeting in Phuket, Thailand. The proposal states that the minimum age for skaters will be raised from 15 to 17 from the next season onwards. ,15-year-old athletes will still be permitted to take part in the upcoming season, however, the minimum age will be 16 the following year. It will eventually rise to 17 for the 2024-25 season, which will take place just days before the 2026 Winter Olympics. The ISU Council concluded that for the sake of protecting the physical and mental health, and emotional well-being of Skaters, the most urgently needed change is a gradual increase of the Senior category age limit in the Figure Skating Branch, from 15 years to 17 years, read the proposal. Also Read | Winter Olympics: Nathan Chen sets new world record in men's singles figure skating,The sports authority added that only those skaters who turn 15 before July 1 will be allowed to take part in major international events for the next season. ,The move comes months after the controversy of 15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, who tested positive for the banned drug Trimetazidine after her team won a sporting event in February. Also Read | Winter Olympics: US-born Eileen Gu wins gold for China in freestyle big air,Meanwhile, Rob Koehler, the director-general of Global Athlete, told CNN that although the decision is a step forward in the right direction, there is still a lot more that can be done. ,Raising the age limit cannot dissolve responsibility to ensure minors are protected, he said. Young athletes will continue to train to reach their dream of competing internationally therefore a wide range of best practice protocols must be in place to protect every young child entering the sport. This has to include third-party independent reporting lines,” Koehler explained.

{\"time\":1654652268980,\"strCount\":2688,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Following a proposal, the International Skating Union (ISU) has decided to increase the minimum age of <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/beijing-2022-nathan-chen-chloe-kim-soar-to-winter-olympics-gold-medals-on-best-day-for-us-658906/\\\">Olympic</a>-level skating professionals who will be competing in the sport’s major events, according to a report by People.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The vote was held on Tuesday at a meeting in Phuket, Thailand.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The proposal states that the minimum age for skaters will be raised from 15 to 17 from the next season onwards.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"15-year-old athletes will still be permitted to take part in the upcoming season, however, the minimum age will be 16 the following year. It will eventually rise to 17 for the 2024-25 season, which will take place just days before the 2026 <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/winter-olympics-2022-snowboardcross-rider-lindsey-jacobellis-earns-1st-us-gold-in-beijing-502617/\\\">Winter Olympics.</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"The ISU Council concluded that for the sake of protecting the physical and mental health, and emotional well-being of Skaters, the most urgently needed change is a gradual increase of the Senior category age limit in the Figure Skating Branch, from 15 years to 17 years,\\\" read the proposal.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/winter-olympics-nathan-chen-sets-new-world-record-in-mens-singles-figure-skating-251817/\\\">Winter Olympics: Nathan Chen sets new world record in men's singles figure skating</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The sports authority added that only those skaters who turn 15 before July 1 will be allowed to take part in major international events for the next season. \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The move comes months after the controversy of 15-year-old <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/russian-olympians-face-criticism-after-vladimir-putins-pro-war-rally-290910/\\\">Russian</a> figure skater Kamila Valieva, who tested positive for the banned drug Trimetazidine after her team won a sporting event in February.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/winter-olympics-us-born-eileen-gu-wins-gold-for-china-in-freestyle-big-air-103210/\\\">Winter Olympics: US-born Eileen Gu wins gold for China in freestyle big air</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Meanwhile, Rob Koehler, the director-general of Global Athlete, told CNN that although the decision is a step forward in the right direction, there is still a lot more that can be done.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Raising the age limit cannot dissolve responsibility to ensure minors are protected,\\\" he said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Young athletes will continue to train to reach their dream of competing internationally therefore a wide range of best practice protocols must be in place to protect every young child entering the sport. This has to include third-party independent reporting lines,” Koehler explained.\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>The ISU has decided to increase the minimum age of Olympic-level skaters</li>
 <li>The vote was held on Tuesday at a meeting in Phuket</li>
 <li>This comes months after skater Kamila Valieva's controversy</li>
</ul>

Figure skating body revises age criteria after Kamila Valieva controversy

KamilaValeiva

Olympics

athlete

Shubham Banerjee

China

Day 12 of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Wednesday, February 16, saw both the Canada and the United States exited the men's hockey tournament in the quarterfinals. The top-seeded Americans blew a late lead and lost 3-2 in penalties to Slovakia, while Canada exited hours later with a 2-0 loss to Sweden. This is the first time since 2006 that both the US and Canada are out of the semis. Russia and Finland have also made the semis. The US women's curling team was also knocked out, losing 10-7 to Japan in the final group game. The men's team have another chance at making it, if they can beat Denmark in their final game on Thursday. South Korea's Cho Minjeong successfully defended her Olympic title in the 1,500-meter short track speedskating event. She won in 2 minutes, 17.789 seconds, extending the tradition of an Asian woman winning the event. There were a total of six medal events - Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey and Short Track Speed Skating.

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She won in 2 minutes, 17.789 seconds, extending the tradition of an Asian woman winning the event.\\n\\nThere were a total of six medal events - Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey and Short Track Speed Skating.\"}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.67383821\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_PxJ0e3OtU.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Vincent Zhou, of the United States, competes in the men's team free skate program during the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022, in Beijing.\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"eLtRJ1HNuPdh\",\"height\":3099,\"width\":4648,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6666667\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_gNep3uHKK.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Team Canada talk between ends during a women's curling match against the Russian Olympic Committee at the Beijing Winter Olympics Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, in Beijing.\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"dJoNWlpLb0P1\",\"height\":2624,\"width\":3936,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.7574402\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_4f2Dl_m-NZF5.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Mikaela Shiffrin, of the United States makes a turn during the women's downhill at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing.&nbsp;\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"uDTBFZqqGySq\",\"height\":3432,\"width\":5141,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6865079\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_8AP7fxDly.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"China's Qi Guangpu competes during the men's aerials qualification at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.&nbsp;\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"LbFPO9lKIN34\",\"height\":3361,\"width\":5040,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6754967\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi__67QV5qo9.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"United States' Alexander Hall competes during the men's slopestyle finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"aJ9u2BPc7UDx\",\"height\":2517,\"width\":3775,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.7552406\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_lSJI6Paoyned.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Johannes Strolz, of Austria passes a gate during the first run of the men's slalom at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing.\",\"source\":\"AP 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district of Beijing.\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"vgVu8AwohsFp\",\"height\":5515,\"width\":8272,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6666667\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_s49vSAGgw.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Mona Brorsson of Sweden, left, Vanessa Hinz of Germany and Dorothea Wierer of Italy ski onto the shooting range during the women's 4x6-kilometer relay at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.&nbsp;\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"Il3SDkSnSZnS\",\"height\":3520,\"width\":5280,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6615266\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_8QQgkta7F1BZ.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Victoria Carl, of Germany, celebrates a gold medal finish ahead of silver medal finisher Jonna Sundling, of Sweden, right, and bronze medal finisher Natalia Nepryaeva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, during the women's team sprint classic cross-country skiing competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"FUAT2WRslWqn\",\"height\":4323,\"width\":6485,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6666667\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_t1mCWA3OTd.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Eric Frenzel, of Germany, lands during a nordic combined large hill training session at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.&nbsp;\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"aHKeLHeL4Sqc\",\"height\":5760,\"width\":8640,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.75315485\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_49jNTrh60.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"From left, Johannes Strolz, of Austria, silver, Clement Noel, of France, gold, and Sebastian Foss-Solevaag, of Norway, bronze, celebrate after the medal ceremony for the men's slalom at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. \",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"73YcHzyQXzgl\",\"height\":5660,\"width\":8479,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6666667\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_Irm7LRwO8.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"From left, Linn Persson, Mona Brorsson, Hanna Oeberg and Elvira Oeberg of Sweden wave during the venue ceremony after the women's 4x6-kilometer relay at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"ryfOae34L2iP\",\"height\":5760,\"width\":8640,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6666667\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_1qqnuaqOtzD-.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Team Canada celebrate during the victory ceremony after winning the men's 5000-meters relay final during the short track speedskating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in Beijing.\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"EeQbunaIXUGq\",\"height\":4284,\"width\":6426,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}}]}

In Pics | All the action from Day 12 of Beijing Winter Olympics

WinterOlympics

UnitedStates

Canada

IceHockey

Beijing, China

Worn out after a grueling doping hearing, Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva said she was happy nonetheless after being allowed to skate Tuesday in the women’s short program at the Beijing Olympics. The 15-year-old Valieva is the overwhelming favorite for the gold medal alongside Russian teammates Alexandra Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova, who are aiming for the first sweep by any nation of the women's Olympic podium. Valieva was cleared to skate even though she failed a drug test taken Dec. 25, the result only emerging last week, after her two brilliant performances in the team competition helped win gold for the Russian team. The Court of Arbitration for Sport gave her a favorable decision Monday in part because she is a minor, known as a “protected person,” and is subject to different rules from an adult athlete. Also Read | Sha'Carri Richardson compares her case with Russia's Kamila Valieva, alleges racism,Lawyers for Valieva also “brought some doubts about her guilt,” veteran IOC member Denis Oswald said Tuesday, with their possible explanation of accidental rather than deliberate doping with the heart medication trimetazidine. “Her argument was this contamination which happened with a product her grandfather was taking, Oswald, a Swiss lawyer who prosecuted previous Russian doping cases, told reporters. Valieva, who practiced in both of her allotted sessions Monday, told Russian state broadcaster Channel One in comments shown that night: “These days have been very difficult for me. I’m happy but I’m tired emotionally.”,There won't be a medal ceremony if Valieva finishes in the top three because the International Olympic Committee is concerned that she could still be banned after a full investigation of her doping case. The three-member court ruled only on whether she could skate at the Olympics and did not consider the full merits of the case. Also Read | Winter Olympics 2022: Erin Jackson of US 1st Black woman to win speedskating gold,The Court of Arbitration for Sport already had said Valieva testified during its lengthy hearing, which ended at about 3 a.m. Monday. Valieva said she watched the entire hearing by video link from the Olympic Village. “I sat there for seven hours, we had one 20-minute break, and I sat there and watched. It was very difficult, but it is apparently one of the moments, of the phases, that I have to go through,” Valieva said, adding that the entire process had taught her that adult life “can be unfair to some extent.”,Valieva is scheduled to perform in the final group, 26th among the 30 women taking part in the individual competition on Tuesday in Beijing. Trusova and Shcherbakova, who like Valieva are coached by the controversial Eteri Tutberidze, skate shortly after her, before Kaori Sakamoto of Japan finishes the short program. Also Read | At Olympics and beyond, getting away with it is Russia's way,The free skate to decide the medals is Thursday at Capital Indoor Stadium. Valieva and her teammates are trying to extend an era of Russian dominance in women's figure skating at the Olympics. It began at the 2014 Sochi Games, when the country's state-sponsored doping scheme first came to light, and Adelina Sotnikova won the gold medal for the host nation. Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva followed with a one-two finish for what was known as the Olympic Athletes from Russia at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Zagitova and Medvedeva also were coached by Tutberidze, the former ice dancer-turned-kingmaker who has been criticized for pushing young skaters to extreme limits in the pursuit of Olympic medals. Also Read | Ben Johnson, Marion Jones highlight most infamous Olympic doping cases,The World Anti-Doping Agency announced this week it will investigate Tutberidze along with the rest of the entourage that has surrounded Valieva in the lead-up to the Olympics. Tutberidze also could be subject to prosecution in the U.S. under a recently enacted law that criminalizes doping schemes in events involving American athletes and sponsors. It has been Tutberidze, and the rest of the Russian team, that has received the vast majority of worldwide scorn. “The ladies event is a complete joke,” said 2018 Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, who now helps coach one of the American women, Mariah Bell. “It's not a real competition and it most likely won't even have a medal ceremony. So many Olympic experiences stolen from clean athletes who got here without the help of performance-enhancing drugs.”,Also Read | Mexican skater Donovan Carrillo is a rare Latin American at Winter Olympics,The IOC has said it will “organize dignified medal ceremonies” once Valieva's case is decided, but that could be months down the road. The organizing committee also did not explain where or how it might be held. “So everyone's medals are going to be shipped to them? Yay for Olympic moments,” said retired pairs skater Chris Knierim, whose wife, Alexa Knierim, and partner Brandon Frazier helped the U.S. win team silver last week. That medal ceremony also will not be held in Beijing because the Russian team could eventually be disqualified. “Four years of hard work just to wait for UPS to deliver your Olympic medal. Hope they have tracking numbers at least,” Knierim said jokingly. “It's going to take extra long because we all know how fast customs is.”

{\"time\":1645013556928,\"strCount\":6186,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Worn out after a grueling doping hearing, Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva said she was happy nonetheless after <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/winter-olympics-2022-court-rules-russian-skater-valieva-can-compete-403698/\\\">being allowed to skate</a> Tuesday in the women’s short program at the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/beijing-winter-olympics-2022-medal-tally-308982/\\\">Beijing Olympics</a>.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The 15-year-old Valieva is the overwhelming favorite for the gold medal alongside Russian teammates Alexandra Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova, who are aiming for&nbsp;the first sweep by any nation of the women's Olympic podium.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Valieva was cleared to skate even though she failed a drug test taken Dec. 25, the result only emerging last week, after her two brilliant performances in the team competition helped win gold for the Russian team. The Court of Arbitration for Sport gave her a favorable decision Monday in part because she is a minor, known as a “protected person,” and is subject to different rules from an adult athlete.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/shacarri-richardson-compares-her-case-with-russias-kamila-valieva-alleges-racism-549436/\\\">Sha'Carri Richardson compares her case with Russia's Kamila Valieva, alleges racism</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Lawyers for Valieva also “brought some doubts about her guilt,” veteran IOC member Denis Oswald said Tuesday, with their possible explanation of accidental rather than deliberate doping with the heart medication trimetazidine.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“Her argument was this contamination which happened with a product her grandfather was taking,\\\" Oswald, a Swiss lawyer who prosecuted previous Russian doping cases, told reporters.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Valieva, who practiced in both of her allotted sessions Monday, told Russian state broadcaster Channel One in comments shown that night: “These days have been very difficult for me. I’m happy but I’m tired emotionally.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"There&nbsp;won't be a medal ceremony&nbsp;if Valieva finishes in the top three because the International Olympic Committee is concerned that she could still be banned after a full investigation of her doping case. The three-member court ruled only on whether she could skate at the Olympics and did not consider the full merits of the case.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/winter-olympics-2022-erin-jackson-of-us-1st-black-woman-to-win-speedskating-gold-122355/\\\">Winter Olympics 2022: Erin Jackson of US 1st Black woman to win speedskating gold</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The Court of Arbitration for Sport already had said Valieva testified during its lengthy hearing, which ended at about 3 a.m. Monday. Valieva said she watched the entire hearing by video link from the Olympic Village.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“I sat there for seven hours, we had one 20-minute break, and I sat there and watched. It was very difficult, but it is apparently one of the moments, of the phases, that I have to go through,” Valieva said, adding that the entire process had taught her that adult life “can be unfair to some extent.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Valieva is scheduled to perform in the final group, 26th among the 30 women taking part in the individual competition on Tuesday in Beijing. Trusova and Shcherbakova, who like Valieva are coached by the controversial Eteri Tutberidze, skate shortly after her, before Kaori Sakamoto of Japan finishes the short program.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/at-olympics-and-beyond-getting-away-with-it-is-russias-way-485195/\\\">At Olympics and beyond, getting away with it is Russia's way</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The free skate to decide the medals is Thursday at Capital Indoor Stadium.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Valieva and her teammates are trying to extend an era of Russian dominance in women's figure skating at the Olympics. It began at the 2014 Sochi Games, when the country's state-sponsored doping scheme first came to light, and Adelina Sotnikova won the gold medal for the host nation. Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva followed with a one-two finish for what was known as the Olympic Athletes from Russia at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Zagitova and Medvedeva also were coached by Tutberidze, the former ice dancer-turned-kingmaker who has been criticized for pushing young skaters to extreme limits in the pursuit of Olympic medals.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/ben-johnson-marion-jones-highlight-most-infamous-olympic-doping-cases-577132/\\\">Ben Johnson, Marion Jones highlight most infamous Olympic doping cases</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The&nbsp;World Anti-Doping Agency announced this week it will investigate Tutberidze&nbsp;along with the rest of the entourage that has surrounded Valieva in the lead-up to the Olympics. Tutberidze also could be subject to prosecution in the U.S. under a recently enacted law that criminalizes doping schemes in events involving American athletes and sponsors.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"It has been Tutberidze, and the rest of the Russian team, that has received&nbsp;the vast majority of worldwide scorn.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“The ladies event is a complete joke,” said 2018 Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, who now helps coach one of the American women, Mariah Bell. “It's not a real competition and it most likely won't even have a medal ceremony. So many Olympic experiences stolen from clean athletes who got here without the help of performance-enhancing drugs.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/mexican-skater-donovan-carrillo-is-a-rare-latin-american-at-winter-olympics-266374/\\\">Mexican skater Donovan Carrillo is a rare Latin American at Winter Olympics</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The IOC has said it will “organize dignified medal ceremonies” once Valieva's case is decided, but that could be months down the road. The organizing committee also did not explain where or how it might be held.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“So everyone's medals are going to be shipped to them? Yay for Olympic moments,” said retired pairs skater Chris Knierim, whose wife, Alexa Knierim, and partner Brandon Frazier helped the U.S. win team silver last week.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"That medal ceremony also will not be held in Beijing because the Russian team could eventually be disqualified.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“Four years of hard work just to wait for UPS to deliver your Olympic medal. Hope they have tracking numbers at least,” Knierim said jokingly. “It's going to take extra long because we all know how fast customs is.”\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva said she was happy despite being worn out after a grueling doping hearing</li>
 <li>Valieva is the overwhelming favorite for the gold medal for the women's figure skating short program</li>
 <li>Valieva was cleared to skate even though she failed a drug test taken December 25</li>
</ul>

Beijing 2022: Kamila Valeiva to compete amid outrage over doping ruling

Doping

InternationalOlympicCommittee

Russia

The big development from Day 7 of the Beijing Winter Olympics has been the doping controversy surrounding 15-year-old Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee. The World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Testing Agency said on Friday that they will contest the decision by the Russian anti-doping agency to allow Valieva, who has tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, to compete. Meanwhile, a total of seven medal events were held today - Alpine Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Biathlon, Short Track Speed Skating, Skeleton, Snowboard and Speed Skating. At the end of the day's proceedings, Germany maintained its lead atop the medal tally, having won a total of seven gold and four silver medals. Norway is in a close second with six golds, while the Netherlands have five.

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Norway is in a close second with six golds, while the Netherlands have five.\"}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.65114113\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_8frDQoRRa.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, trains at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, in Beijing.&nbsp;\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"hET5fqAgLq89\",\"height\":4293,\"width\":6441,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6750251\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_oPWgchJSP.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"United States' Shaun White waves after competing in the men's halfpipe finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.&nbsp;\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"h2trvFOlRyQj\",\"height\":2659,\"width\":3988,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.7481663\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_ymzP2UEq44.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Mikaela Shiffrin, of United States makes a jump during the women's super-G at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing.\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"Td5BDQHJt3a8\",\"height\":1638,\"width\":2454,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6716418\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_sJRG0ZBBV.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Members of the United States team celebrate wining the women's quarterfinal hockey game against the Czech Republic at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in Beijing.\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"icLBWGK50qRZ\",\"height\":4467,\"width\":6700,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6666667\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_HS_a7ZARI8k.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Iivo Niskanen, of Finland, celebrates as he crosses the finish line during the men's 15km classic cross-country skiing competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.&nbsp;\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"vwBCEShbh1Bi\",\"height\":4700,\"width\":7050,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6515735\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_KAToXytdX.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Nils van der Poel of Sweden reacts after breaking his own world record in the men's speedskating 10,000-meter race at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in Beijing.\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"W1ldn1MIGwFU\",\"height\":2944,\"width\":4417,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.7000000\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_nKzKqoXNQ.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"In this frame from video, Vladyslav Heraskevych, of Ukraine, holds a sign that reads \\\"No War in Ukraine\\\" after finishing a run at the men's skeleton competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing.&nbsp;\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"h6HmLi4OXwfW\",\"height\":2001,\"width\":3000,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_R3K0A_Av-.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Ahenaer Adake of China skates during a speedskating practice session at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, in Beijing.\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"NMRouLv0P5DF\",\"height\":3744,\"width\":5616,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false,\"aspectRatio\":\"66.66666667\"}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6666667\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_mzuYSZ_MF.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Marketa Davidova of the Czech Republic practices shooting before the women's 7.5-kilometer sprint competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.&nbsp;\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"InXnyccE1HWe\",\"height\":3976,\"width\":5964,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi__j3BLKUqg.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Lara Gut-Behrami, of Switzerland celebrates during the medal ceremony after winning the gold medal in the women's super-G at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing.\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"mgVxMxfOjdGP\",\"height\":3127,\"width\":4684,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false,\"aspectRatio\":\"66.75918019\"}}]}

In Pics | All the action from Day 7 of the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

Beijing,China

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s right to compete in the imminent women’s event at the Beijing Olympics will be decided at an urgent hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The International Testing Agency — on behalf of the IOC -- said Friday it would fight a decision by Russia’s anti-doping agency to allow the 15-year-old Valieva to skate. The Russian agency had provisionally banned Valieva this week because she failed a doping test in December. Also read: In Pics | The action from Day 6 of Beijing Winter Olympics 2022,Valieva is the heavy favorite in her event which begins Tuesday after setting world record scores this season and landing the first quad jump by a women at an Olympics when the Russian Olympic Committee won the team event Monday. The ROC said it will fight to keep that gold medal. The ITA confirmed reports that Valieva tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine at the Russian national championships in St. Petersburg six weeks ago. The positive test was flagged by a laboratory in Sweden only on Tuesday — the day after Valieva helped the Russians win the team event and just hours before the medal ceremony, which was then postponed. Whether the Russians will lose that gold medal will be decided later. Also read: Beijing Olympics medal tally: Germany leads with 6 golds, Norway follows,An AP request for an interview with the Swedish lab has gone unanswered. Valieva was hit with an immediate interim ban from the Beijing Olympics by the Russian anti-doping agency known as RUSADA, which oversaw testing at the national championships. On Wednesday, a RUSADA disciplinary panel upheld her appeal and overturned the skater's interim ban. The rushed hearing at CAS will only consider the question of the provisional ban at these Games, said the ITA, which is prosecuting on behalf of the IOC. The ITA was formed by the IOC in 2018 in the wake of the Russian doping scandal to manage international testing and to design the anti-doping program for the Olympics. “The IOC will exercise its right to appeal and not to wait for the reasoned decision by RUSADA, because a decision is needed before the next competition the athlete is due to take part in,” the testing agency said. As a 15-year-old, Valieva has protections in the sports’ rule book – the World Anti-Doping Code. Under these guidelines she could ultimately receive just a simple reprimand. When a minor is implicated in doping rules violations, the rules state her entourage, such as coaches and team doctors, must be investigated, too. That isn't typically the case for athletes aged over 18. Also read: Ben Johnson, Marion Jones highlight most infamous Olympic doping cases,“Such cases are not helpful to the Games, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. “These cases need to be prosecuted properly, taken care of properly and due process needs to be gone through. Otherwise I think the confidence of people would be even less. So I think it’s very important for everybody concerned, not least the 15-year-old athlete that’s concerned, that we have due process, that it’s seen to be done properly, and that people can have confidence in the decisions that are taken.”,Valieva will likely be stripped of her Russian national title in December. “The Russian Olympic Committee will take comprehensive measures to defend the rights and interests of the ROC team and to keep the honestly-won Olympic gold medal (in the team event),” the ROC said in a statement. It added that a doping test Valieva took while at the Olympics came back clean - all medalists are tested at the Olympics. “The ROC also assumes that a full investigation will be carried out, as a result of which all significant legal and factual circumstances regarding what has happened will be established. For the second straight day, Valieva worked out early at the main rink inside Capital Indoor Stadium as if nothing was amiss. She was flanked by Russian teammates Alexandra Trusova and world champion Anna Shcherbakova, both of whom are also coached by Eteri Tutberidze,,During the 45-minute session, Valieva threw down four quad jumps, including one in a potentially high-scoring combination with a triple salchow. Despite missing on that combo at the Rostelecom Cup in November, when she did a quad-double, Valieva still set a world record there for her free skate. She also set the world record for the short program and total score at the same Grand Prix event in Russia. A ruling on the Olympic team event likely will take much longer, preventing any medals being awarded in Beijing before the closing ceremony on Feb. 20. RUSADA will first investigate the full merits of the doping case and give a judgment. That verdict would lead to an appeal and could also end up at CAS. “The decision on the results of the ROC team in the Team Figure Skating event can be taken by the ISU only after a final decision on the full merits of the case has been taken,” the ITA said. The latest doping case involving a Russian athlete could have broader implications for the country’s sports program. Russia is competing in the Beijing Olympics as ROC, short for Russian Olympic Committee, without its anthem or flag. That’s because of the fallout from years of doping disputes including steroid use and cover-ups at the 2014 Winter Olympics, which Russia hosted. Another scandal could extend its two-year ban beyond the scheduled December end.

{\"time\":1644564544981,\"strCount\":5771,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s right to compete in the imminent women’s event at the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/winterolympics/\\\">Beijing Olympics</a> will be decided at an urgent hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The International Testing Agency — on behalf of the IOC -- said Friday it would fight a decision by Russia’s anti-doping agency to allow the 15-year-old Valieva to skate. The Russian agency had provisionally banned Valieva this week because she failed a doping test in December.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/in-pics-the-action-from-day-6-of-beijing-winter-olympics-2022-250275/\\\">In Pics | The action from Day 6 of Beijing Winter Olympics 2022</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Valieva is the heavy favorite in her event which begins Tuesday after setting world record scores this season and landing the first quad jump by a women at an Olympics when the Russian Olympic Committee won the team event Monday. The ROC said it will fight to keep that gold medal.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The ITA confirmed reports that Valieva tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine at the Russian national championships in St. Petersburg six weeks ago.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The positive test was flagged by a laboratory in Sweden only on Tuesday — the day after Valieva helped the Russians win the team event and just hours before the medal ceremony, which was then postponed. Whether the Russians will lose that gold medal will be decided later.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/beijing-winter-olympics-2022-medal-tally-308982/\\\">Beijing Olympics medal tally: Germany leads with 6 golds, Norway follows</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"An AP request for an interview with the Swedish lab has gone unanswered.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Valieva was hit with an immediate interim ban from the Beijing Olympics by the Russian anti-doping agency known as RUSADA, which oversaw testing at the national championships.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"On Wednesday, a RUSADA disciplinary panel upheld her appeal and overturned the skater's interim ban.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The rushed hearing at CAS will only consider the question of the provisional ban at these Games, said the ITA, which is prosecuting on behalf of the IOC. The ITA was formed by the IOC in 2018 in the wake of the Russian doping scandal to manage international testing and to design the anti-doping program for the Olympics.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“The IOC will exercise its right to appeal and not to wait for the reasoned decision by RUSADA, because a decision is needed before the next competition the athlete is due to take part in,” the testing agency said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"As a 15-year-old, Valieva has protections in the sports’ rule book – the World Anti-Doping Code. Under these guidelines she could ultimately receive just a simple reprimand.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"When a minor is implicated in doping rules violations, the rules state her entourage, such as coaches and team doctors, must be investigated, too. That isn't typically the case for athletes aged over 18.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/ben-johnson-marion-jones-highlight-most-infamous-olympic-doping-cases-577132/\\\">Ben Johnson, Marion Jones highlight most infamous Olympic doping cases</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“Such cases are not helpful to the Games,\\\" IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. “These cases need to be prosecuted properly, taken care of properly and due process needs to be gone through. Otherwise I think the confidence of people would be even less. So I think it’s very important for everybody concerned, not least the 15-year-old athlete that’s concerned, that we have due process, that it’s seen to be done properly, and that people can have confidence in the decisions that are taken.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Valieva will likely be stripped of her Russian national title in December.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“The Russian Olympic Committee will take comprehensive measures to defend the rights and interests of the ROC team and to keep the honestly-won Olympic gold medal (in the team event),” the ROC said in a statement. It added that a doping test Valieva took while at the Olympics came back clean - all medalists are tested at the Olympics.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“The ROC also assumes that a full investigation will be carried out, as a result of which all significant legal and factual circumstances regarding what has happened will be established.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"For the second straight day, Valieva worked out early at the main rink inside Capital Indoor Stadium as if nothing was amiss. She was flanked by Russian teammates Alexandra Trusova and world champion Anna Shcherbakova, both of whom are also coached by Eteri Tutberidze,\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"During the 45-minute session, Valieva threw down four quad jumps, including one in a potentially high-scoring combination with a triple salchow.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Despite missing on that combo at the Rostelecom Cup in November, when she did a quad-double, Valieva still set a world record there for her free skate. She also set the world record for the short program and total score at the same Grand Prix event in Russia.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"A ruling on the Olympic team event likely will take much longer, preventing any medals being awarded in Beijing before the closing ceremony on Feb. 20. RUSADA will first investigate the full merits of the doping case and give a judgment. That verdict would lead to an appeal and could also end up at CAS.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“The decision on the results of the ROC team in the Team Figure Skating event can be taken by the ISU only after a final decision on the full merits of the case has been taken,” the ITA said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The latest doping case involving a Russian athlete could have broader implications for the country’s sports program.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Russia is competing in the Beijing Olympics as ROC, short for Russian Olympic Committee, without its anthem or flag. That’s because of the fallout from years of doping disputes including steroid use and cover-ups at the 2014 Winter Olympics, which Russia hosted.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Another scandal could extend its two-year ban beyond the scheduled December end.\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>Kamila Valieva is a Russian figure skater participating in the Winter Olympics</li>
 <li>&nbsp;International Testing Agency &nbsp;had provisionally banned Valieva this week because she failed a doping test in December</li>
 <li>Valieva is the heavy favorite in her event which begins Tuesday</li>
</ul>

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will get an urgent hearing to decide whether she can compete at Beijing Olympics

Athletics

International

The USA enjoyed its most productive day at the ongoing Beijing Winter Olympics so far on Thursday, as Nathan Chen and Chloe Kim won gold medals in men's free skate and women's halfpipe respectively. The United States also thrashed China 8-0 in the hosts' Olympic ice hockey debut. Meanwhile, Germany remained top of the medal tally after sweeping the luge events at the Games. The Germans won the team relay Thursday night, holding off Austria and Latvia for the victory. Austrian skier Johannes Strolz won gold in the Alpine combined race, 34 years after his father won gold in the event. Cross country skier Therese Johaug of Lativia won gold in the 10km classic race.

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Cross country skier Therese Johaug of Lativia won gold in the 10km classic race.\"}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.66666667\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_g8WvyOt5k.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni yells to her sweepers during a women's curling match against Britain at the Beijing Winter Olympics Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, in Beijing.\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"wsS5VcHEIH0m\",\"height\":2624,\"width\":3936,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6707799\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_MjRQXwxojHm.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Kerttu Niskanen of Finland jumps during introductions during a medal ceremony for the women's cross-country 10-kilometer event at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.&nbsp;\",\"source\":\"AP 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2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing.\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"4yYSemgMFMw1\",\"height\":3576,\"width\":5367,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6807611\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_o2NIQDw4G.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"United States' Chloe Kim competes during the women's halfpipe finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.&nbsp;\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"BclvmfoWk58e\",\"height\":3154,\"width\":4730,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6666667\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_8K4mynMqfWV.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Nathan Chen, of the United States, competes in the men's free skate program during the figure skating event at the 2022 Winter 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In Pics | The action from Day 6 of Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

Skiing

Snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis won the United States' first gold medal of the ongoing Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 on day five of the Games on Wednesday. The 36-year-old racer was in her fifth Olympics and captured the first U.S. win of what has been an otherwise dismal Games for the U.S. The first doping case of the Games was also confirmed today, with Iran's only male athlete testing positive for an anabolic steroid. Alpine skier Hossein Saveh failed the doping test on Monday, the International Testing Agencey said. German athletes Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt won the doubles luge title at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday night, their third consecutive gold medal in the event.

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Alpine skier Hossein Saveh failed the doping test on Monday, the International Testing Agencey said. \\n\\nGerman athletes Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt won the doubles luge title at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday night, their third consecutive gold medal in the event.\"}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.66666667\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_5sAT7hYkh4i.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Gold medalists team from the Russian Olympic Committee celebrates following the victory ceremony after the team event in the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing.\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"IBOBZQ1AHtD4\",\"height\":3100,\"width\":4650,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"69.2722372\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_2ePGGHzSP.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Mikaela Shiffrin, of the United States sits on the side of the course 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followed by France's Chloe Trespeuch (8), United States' Stacy Gaskill (4), and Italy's Michela Moioli (1) during the women's cross finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.&nbsp;\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"op0pQmHlxyLN\",\"height\":4217,\"width\":6325,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6714286\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_vN_T8JhaZQ9.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Vinzenz Geiger, of Germany, soars through the air during a trial round in the ski jump portion of the individual Gundersen normal hill event at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.\",\"source\":\"AP 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9, 2022, in Beijing.&nbsp;\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"027qycqD0x9H\",\"height\":2601,\"width\":3902,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.6666667\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_PLafVM6ZD.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt, of Germany, slide during the luge doubles run 2 at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing.\",\"source\":\"AP Photo\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"gQzVldmdT9ms\",\"height\":5760,\"width\":8640,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}}]}

In pics: Medals and victories of Day 5 of Beijing Olympics 2022

Germany

They said he should play soccer. They said figure skating was for girls. They said winter sports made no sense in temperate Guadalajara. But none of those naysayers deterred Mexican figure skater Donovan Carrillo, the rare Latin American athlete at the Winter Games, who has now become an even more rare Beijing Olympics success story – however relative – from that part of the globe. Carrillo had a career-best performance in the marquee sport of the Winter Games on Tuesday at Capital Indoor Stadium, featuring a well-executed quad toe loop and difficult triple axel. Also Read | Winter Olympics 2022: Snowboardcross rider Lindsey Jacobellis earns 1st US gold in Beijing,That allows him to advance to the longer free skate competition on Thursday — a first for Mexico, which hadn’t had an Olympic skater in three decades. It instantly made Carrillo the most successful Mexican figure skater in history. “For me to have the opportunity to be one of the few Latin American athletes here at the Olympics, it’s really something that motivates me to do my best and to inspire more kids in Latin America and in my country to try to practice winter sports,” Carrillo said. “I used to talk this dream with people. They were always laughing or telling me that it was impossible for a Mexican to qualify.”,In Beijing, Carrillo is one of 33 athletes from nine Latin teams: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Puerto Rico. There’s another 10 athletes from four other Caribbean teams, including Virgin Islands, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. None have ever medaled at the Winter Games. Also Read | In pics: Medals and victories of Day 4 of Beijing Olympics 2022,Brazil — typically a Summer Games powerhouse — claims the most athletes but the 10 Winter competitors in Beijing are a fraction of their 302 that competed in the Tokyo Games last year. Among the four athletes on the Mexico team, Carrillo is the only one who stayed in Mexico to nurture his talents, which he insists on doing. Two others have Mexican heritage but train in the U.S. and Canada, while a third — Sarah Schleper — joined the Mexico team after marrying a Mexican and retiring from the U.S. ski team. Carrillo’s stronger-than-expected figure skating short program on Tuesday was steeped in national pride. His music was set to Santana, his father’s favorite band. Carrillo’s blade covers displayed the green, white and red colors of the Mexican flag. He wore a sparkly black and gold costume that was custom-made by Mexican fashion designer Edgar Lozzano, who offered it to the skater for free. “It’s something that I always try to do with my performance, to involve the Mexican culture, Carrillo said. Carlos Santana is Mexican. I always try to take on different artists that could help me and motivate me to represent my country. Also Read | Eileen Gu happy Peng Shuai is healthy, but dodges questions on nationality,The 22-year-old is originally from Guadalajara but moved with his coach to León when he was 13 because his hometown rink shut down. He dreamt of Olympic glory and idolized Spain's Javier Fernandez, who took bronze at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang to become the first Spanish figure skater to medal. Brenda Elsey, a sports history professor at Hofstra University, said win or lose, Carrillo’s debut at the Olympics can only be a good thing for Mexico and the rest of Latin America in terms of winter sports engagement. Mexico does not have a national professional sports league or competitive collegiate system for any winter sports. The Winter Games are also not a geopolitical priority for its government. “The fact is they would have to go on the European circuit to be able to qualify. The process to get to the Olympics is more of a challenge than people realize, particularly because there’s not a huge culture necessarily within Latin America that is clamoring for this,” Elsey said. ,Also Read | Winter Olympics: Nathan Chen sets new world record in men's singles figure skating,Even at the popular ski resorts in Chile and Argentina, Elsey said the mountain snow sports are so cost-prohibitive that it’s effectively reserved for western tourists and locals with European roots who are already familiar with skiing. The lack of a Latin American presence at the Winter Games is surely an issue the International Olympic Committee has taken note of. Elsey said winter sports themselves are rooted in Nordic traditions, which is also why Africa, Middle East and Southeast Asia are not well-represented. ,“They would love to expand the market to increase the amount of money in marketing and broadcast rights,” Elsey said. “The IOC wants to be relevant to everyone.”,Back at home, it may take another televised round of skating for Carrillo to really break through soccer-crazed Mexico’s sports coverage, though national newspapers were plastered with photographs of a wide-smiling Carrillo on Tuesday. ,Also Read | Winter Olympics: US-born Eileen Gu wins gold for China in freestyle big air,Mexicans quickly got behind the young figure skater, expressing their pride and support on social media, though he’s not exactly a household name – yet. Hours after his debut, Anette Tapia admitted she hadn’t been following the Olympics either but had seen something about Carrillo beforehand. “He has a refreshing essence,” said the 26-year-old designer. “He has a lot of motivation.”,Figure skating is uncommon in Mexico and there are no Olympic-sized rinks in the entire country. Ice rinks are usually limited to attractions inside shopping centers. ,In fact, it was on a small rink at the Plaza Mayor mall in the central state of Guanajuato where Carrillo trained in the run-up to the Olympics. His side hustle to afford this very expensive sport includes teaching ice skating lessons there. ,Carrillo laments how he is snapped back to reality during his training: when people ask him to turn off his blaring music, when he has to practice his dazzling maneuvers while dodging kids and families on the ice for fun, and especially when he has to share half the rink with hockey players. Also Read | China on Galwan soldier as Olympics torchbearer: It was an 'objective and rational' call,“The dream of every coach in Mexico is to have the right infrastructure, to keep the skaters training in the country…(so) that they don’t have to go out in order to improve,” said Gregorio Núñez, Carrillo’s coach for the past 14 years. “In our country, it’s very hard to have the infrastructure to practice winter sports.”,Carrillo said a cultural barrier also exists, as macho attitudes disapprove of male skaters in particular. “Sometimes people think that the artistic sports are only for women, so that’s something I had to fight when I was a kid because many people at school told me ‘Oh you’re a girl,’ and they sometimes even think that to practice an artistic sport, it’s going to affect your (sexual) preferences as a person. I never thought that,” Carrillo said. “I think that’s one of the reasons of why we don’t have many male skaters in my country.”,Carrillo is proud to make history when he takes the ice for Mexico in the men’s finals on Thursday, though he’s under no delusion that he’s actually competitive with powerhouses likely gold medalist Nathan Chen from the U.S. team. The Mexican skater is not deterred by this in the least. He’s already eyeing another run in Milan-Cortina in 2026, and sees Beijing as a good experience for his future aspirations. He knows simply that his very existence at the Olympic rink here is an achievement for his country. “I had a great time on the ice,” an elated Carrillo said. “I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to keep skating and living the Olympic dream.”

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They said winter sports made no sense in temperate Guadalajara.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"But none of those naysayers deterred Mexican figure skater Donovan Carrillo, the rare Latin American athlete at the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/winterolympics/\\\">Winter Games</a>, who has now become an even more rare Beijing Olympics success story – however relative – from that part of the globe.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Carrillo had a career-best performance in the marquee sport of the Winter Games on Tuesday at Capital Indoor Stadium, featuring a well-executed quad toe loop and difficult triple axel.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/winter-olympics-2022-snowboardcross-rider-lindsey-jacobellis-earns-1st-us-gold-in-beijing-502617/\\\">Winter Olympics 2022: Snowboardcross rider Lindsey Jacobellis earns 1st US gold in Beijing</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"That allows him to advance to the longer free skate competition on Thursday — a first for Mexico, which hadn’t had an Olympic skater in three decades. It instantly made Carrillo the most successful Mexican figure skater in history.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“For me to have the opportunity to be one of the few Latin American athletes here at the Olympics, it’s really something that motivates me to do my best and to inspire more kids in Latin America and in my country to try to practice winter sports,” Carrillo said. “I used to talk this dream with people. They were always laughing or telling me that it was impossible for a Mexican to qualify.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"In Beijing, Carrillo is one of 33 athletes from nine Latin teams: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Puerto Rico. There’s another 10 athletes from four other Caribbean teams, including Virgin Islands, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. None have ever medaled at the Winter Games.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/in-pics-medals-and-victories-of-day-4-of-beijing-olympics-2022-479956/\\\">In pics: Medals and victories of Day 4 of Beijing Olympics 2022</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Brazil — typically a Summer Games powerhouse — claims the most athletes but the 10 Winter competitors in Beijing are a fraction of their 302 that competed in the Tokyo Games last year.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Among the four athletes on the Mexico team, Carrillo is the only one who stayed in Mexico to nurture his talents, which he insists on doing. Two others have Mexican heritage but train in the U.S. and Canada, while a third — Sarah Schleper — joined the Mexico team after marrying a Mexican and retiring from the U.S. ski team.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Carrillo’s stronger-than-expected figure skating short program on Tuesday was steeped in national pride. His music was set to Santana, his father’s favorite band. Carrillo’s blade covers displayed the green, white and red colors of the Mexican flag. He wore a sparkly black and gold costume that was custom-made by Mexican fashion designer Edgar Lozzano, who offered it to the skater for free.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“It’s something that I always try to do with my performance, to involve the Mexican culture,\\\" Carrillo said. \\\"Carlos Santana is Mexican. I always try to take on different artists that could help me and motivate me to represent my country.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/eileen-gu-happy-peng-shuai-is-healthy-but-dodges-questions-on-nationality-634036/\\\">Eileen Gu happy Peng Shuai is healthy, but dodges questions on nationality</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The 22-year-old is originally from Guadalajara but moved with his coach to León when he was 13 because his hometown rink shut down. He dreamt of Olympic glory and idolized Spain's Javier Fernandez, who took bronze at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang to become the first Spanish figure skater to medal.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Brenda Elsey, a sports history professor at Hofstra University, said win or lose, Carrillo’s debut at the Olympics can only be a good thing for Mexico and the rest of Latin America in terms of winter sports engagement. Mexico does not have a national professional sports league or competitive collegiate system for any winter sports. The Winter Games are also not a geopolitical priority for its government.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“The fact is they would have to go on the European circuit to be able to qualify. The process to get to the Olympics is more of a challenge than people realize, particularly because there’s not a huge culture necessarily within Latin America that is clamoring for this,” Elsey said.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/winter-olympics-nathan-chen-sets-new-world-record-in-mens-singles-figure-skating-251817/\\\">Winter Olympics: Nathan Chen sets new world record in men's singles figure skating</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Even at the popular ski resorts in Chile and Argentina, Elsey said the mountain snow sports are so cost-prohibitive that it’s effectively reserved for western tourists and locals with European roots who are already familiar with skiing.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The lack of a Latin American presence at the Winter Games is surely an issue the International Olympic Committee has taken note of. Elsey said winter sports themselves are rooted in Nordic traditions, which is also why Africa, Middle East and Southeast Asia are not well-represented.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“They would love to expand the market to increase the amount of money in marketing and broadcast rights,” Elsey said. “The IOC wants to be relevant to everyone.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Back at home, it may take another televised round of skating for Carrillo to really break through soccer-crazed Mexico’s sports coverage, though national newspapers were plastered with photographs of a wide-smiling Carrillo on Tuesday.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/winter-olympics-us-born-eileen-gu-wins-gold-for-china-in-freestyle-big-air-103210/\\\">Winter Olympics: US-born Eileen Gu wins gold for China in freestyle big air</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Mexicans quickly got behind the young figure skater, expressing their pride and support on social media, though he’s not exactly a household name – yet.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Hours after his debut, Anette Tapia admitted she hadn’t been following the Olympics either but had seen something about Carrillo beforehand.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“He has a refreshing essence,” said the 26-year-old designer. “He has a lot of motivation.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Figure skating is uncommon in Mexico and there are no Olympic-sized rinks in the entire country. Ice rinks are usually limited to attractions inside shopping centers.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"In fact, it was on a small rink at the Plaza Mayor mall in the central state of Guanajuato where Carrillo trained in the run-up to the Olympics. His side hustle to afford this very expensive sport includes teaching ice skating lessons there.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Carrillo laments how he is snapped back to reality during his training: when people ask him to turn off his blaring music, when he has to practice his dazzling maneuvers while dodging kids and families on the ice for fun, and especially when he has to share half the rink with hockey players.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/china-on-galwan-soldier-as-olympics-torchbearer-it-was-an-objective-and-rational-call-224433/\\\">China on Galwan soldier as Olympics torchbearer: It was an 'objective and rational' call</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“The dream of every coach in Mexico is to have the right infrastructure, to keep the skaters training in the country…(so) that they don’t have to go out in order to improve,” said Gregorio Núñez, Carrillo’s coach for the past 14 years. “In our country, it’s very hard to have the infrastructure to practice winter sports.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Carrillo said a cultural barrier also exists, as macho attitudes disapprove of male skaters in particular.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“Sometimes people think that the artistic sports are only for women, so that’s something I had to fight when I was a kid because many people at school told me ‘Oh you’re a girl,’ and they sometimes even think that to practice an artistic sport, it’s going to affect your (sexual) preferences as a person. I never thought that,” Carrillo said. “I think that’s one of the reasons of why we don’t have many male skaters in my country.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Carrillo is proud to make history when he takes the ice for Mexico in the men’s finals on Thursday, though he’s under no delusion that he’s actually competitive with powerhouses likely gold medalist Nathan Chen from the U.S. team.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The Mexican skater is not deterred by this in the least. He’s already eyeing another run in Milan-Cortina in 2026, and sees Beijing as a good experience for his future aspirations. He knows simply that his very existence at the Olympic rink here is an achievement for his country.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“I had a great time on the ice,” an elated Carrillo said. “I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to keep skating and living the Olympic dream.”\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>Carrillo had a career-best performance in the marquee sport of the Winter Games</li>
 <li>That allows him to advance to the longer free skate competition, a first for Mexico</li>
 <li>Carrillo is one of 33 athletes from nine Latin teams</li>
</ul>

Mexican skater Donovan Carrillo is a rare Latin American at Winter Olympics

Mexico

Sucharita Ganguly

Zhu Yi, a California native who made her Olympic debut for Team China, was keen to impress the Chinese fans. Instead, after falling flat on the ice and finishing last in the women's short programme team event on Sunday, the 19-year-old is facing a firestorm on Chinese social media. Also read: In Pics: Medals and victories on Day 2 of Beijing Olympics 2022,The hashtag Zhu Yi has fallen got 200 million views in just a few hours on Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform. Many people questioned why Zhu, an American-born skater, was chosen to represent China over a Chinese athlete. This is such a disgrace, said a comment with 11,000 upvotes. The hashtag appeared to be banned by Sunday evening. It's not clear why. On the second day of the figure skating team event, Zhu was the first to compete, gliding into the ice rink to the enthusiasm of the largely Chinese crowd at Beijing's Capital Indoor Stadium. Also read: Beijing Olympics 2022: China accused of ignoring hockey player's human rights in COVID isolation,However, following a failed jump in the first combination, she tumbled and smashed against the wall, and later in the performance, she missed another jump, concluding with the lowest score of the competition. As a result, China dropped from third to fifth place in the standings, just making it through to the next round of competition. I'm upset and a little embarrassed, Zhu said after the race, wiping her tears. I guess I felt a lot of pressure because I know everybody in China was pretty surprised with the selection for ladies' singles and I just really wanted to show them what I was able to do but unfortunately I didn't. Medal counts have long been pushed by the Chinese government as a measure of national strength, thus Chinese athletes are under a lot of pressure to perform well at the Olympics. Many people have received blowback in the past due to bad performance. At least a dozen foreign-born athletes have been recruited by China in recent years in an effort to boost the country's medal total at the Winter Olympics. The attack on her, however, emphasises the strain that naturalised athletes feel when competing under the Chinese flag. Also read: Beijing Olympics medal tally: Norway leads with two golds, Sweden, ROC follow,Zhu, who was born in Los Angeles to a Chinese immigrant family, gave up her American citizenship to compete for China in 2018. Beverly Zhu became Zhu Yi, and she changed her name from Beverly Zhu to Zhu Yi. In China, though, she has been chastised for not speaking the language fluently. Please let her learn Chinese first, before she talks about patriotism, a Weibo user said on Sunday. Others have criticised her for her allegedly privileged upbringing and familial links. Zhu Songchun, Zhu's father, is a renowned artificial intelligence researcher. In 2020, he transferred to Peking University from the University of California, Los Angeles. The attack on Zhu contrasts sharply with the enormous popularity of Eileen Gu, a freeskiing prodigy from California who is also competing for China. With her perfect Mandarin and acquaintance with Chinese culture, the 18-year-old has charmed the Chinese audience. She grew up spending summer vacations in Beijing. She has become the unofficial face of the Winter Olympics in China, appearing frequently in state-run media to promote winter sports and in advertising for Chinese companies. Gu is set to compete in the women's freeski big air qualification event on Monday morning. The hashtag Eileen Gu's first show is trending on Weibo, where Gu has 1.9 million followers, with more than 300 million views as of Sunday night.

{\"time\":1644170430458,\"strCount\":4119,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Zhu Yi, a <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/california/\\\">California</a> native who made her <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/olympics/\\\">Olympic</a> debut for Team China, was keen to impress the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/china/\\\">Chinese</a> fans.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Instead, after falling flat on the ice and finishing last in the women's short programme team event on Sunday, the 19-year-old is facing a firestorm on Chinese social media.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/in-pics-medals-and-victories-on-day-2-of-beijing-olympics-2022-564224/\\\">In Pics: Medals and victories on Day 2 of Beijing Olympics 2022</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The hashtag \\\"Zhu Yi has fallen\\\" got 200 million views in just a few hours on Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform. Many people questioned why Zhu, an American-born skater, was chosen to represent China over a Chinese athlete.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"This is such a disgrace,\\\" said a comment with 11,000 upvotes.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The hashtag appeared to be banned by Sunday evening. It's not clear why.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"On the second day of the figure skating team event, Zhu was the first to compete, gliding into the ice rink to the enthusiasm of the largely Chinese crowd at Beijing's Capital Indoor Stadium.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/health/beijing-olympics-2022-china-accused-of-ignoring-hockey-players-human-rights-in-covid-isolation-182640/\\\">Beijing Olympics 2022: China accused of ignoring hockey player's human rights in COVID isolation</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"However, following a failed jump in the first combination, she tumbled and smashed against the wall, and later in the performance, she missed another jump, concluding with the lowest score of the competition.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"As a result, China dropped from third to fifth place in the standings, just making it through to the next round of competition.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I'm upset and a little embarrassed,\\\" Zhu said after the race, wiping her tears.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I guess I felt a lot of pressure because I know everybody in China was pretty surprised with the selection for ladies' singles and I just really wanted to show them what I was able to do but unfortunately I didn't.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Medal counts have long been pushed by the Chinese government as a measure of national strength, thus Chinese athletes are under a lot of pressure to perform well at the Olympics. Many people have received blowback in the past due to bad performance.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"At least a dozen foreign-born athletes have been recruited by China in recent years in an effort to boost the country's medal total at the Winter Olympics. The attack on her, however, emphasises the strain that naturalised athletes feel when competing under the Chinese flag.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/beijing-winter-olympics-2022-medal-tally-308982/\\\">Beijing Olympics medal tally: Norway leads with two golds, Sweden, ROC follow</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Zhu, who was born in Los Angeles to a Chinese immigrant family, gave up her American citizenship to compete for China in 2018. Beverly Zhu became Zhu Yi, and she changed her name from Beverly Zhu to Zhu Yi.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"In China, though, she has been chastised for not speaking the language fluently.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Please let her learn Chinese first, before she talks about patriotism,\\\" a Weibo user said on Sunday.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Others have criticised her for her allegedly privileged upbringing and familial links. Zhu Songchun, Zhu's father, is a renowned artificial intelligence researcher. In 2020, he transferred to Peking University from the University of California, Los Angeles.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The attack on Zhu contrasts sharply with the enormous popularity of Eileen Gu, a freeskiing prodigy from California who is also competing for China.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"With her perfect Mandarin and acquaintance with Chinese culture, the 18-year-old has charmed the Chinese audience. She grew up spending summer vacations in Beijing. She has become the unofficial face of the Winter Olympics in China, appearing frequently in state-run media to promote winter sports and in advertising for Chinese companies.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Gu is set to compete in the women's freeski big air qualification event on Monday morning. The hashtag \\\"Eileen Gu's first show\\\" is trending on Weibo, where Gu has 1.9 million followers, with more than 300 million views as of Sunday night.\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>Zhu Yi is a US born figure skater who debuted for Team China</li>
 <li>After falling flat on the ice and finishing last, the 19-year-old is facing a firestorm on Chinese social media</li>
 <li>The hashtag "Zhu Yi has fallen" got 200 million views in just a few hours on Weibo</li>
</ul>

Beijing Olympics 2022: US born figure skater Zhu Yi under attack after fall

Beijing

SocialMedia

Weibo

The team competition in Olympic figure skating has always been a three-team scramble for the podium. There's the Russians, who won gold at the event's 2014 debut in Sochi and silver in Pyeongchang. There's the Canadians, who took silver before finding gold four years later. And there's the Americans, who have taken bronze each time. There could be a new player in the mix when competition begins Friday in Beijing, though. After back-to-back fifth-place finishes, the Japanese bring their strongest bunch yet to the Olympics, and could knock off the podium a Canadian team that no longer has retired Patrick Chan or ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir to pile up the points. As for the Americans? Perhaps they can finally move up a step or two on the podium. Also Read | Panda diplomacy: Why Beijing pitched Bing Dwen Dwen as Olympics mascot,“It's important any time you compete,” said Nathan Chen, who performed his short program for the U.S. team in Pyeongchang and finished a lackluster fourth in it. “I'm going to try to do the best I can. I know the rest of us will, too.”,Chen is among the favorites to win individual gold in Beijing, and the team event should give him a competitive warmup. He doesn't know whether he will skate his short program, free skate or both for the team — that decision will be made by Team USA shortly before competition — but he is a lock to compete at least once. Also Read | Arif Khan: India's only hope for a medal in Beijing 2022,The order of events changed from Pyeongchang, when pairs followed the team event, and that means Chen and the rest of the men will be up next week. Pairs got the misfortune of heading to the back of the Olympic program, meaning they won't be on the ice again until Feb. 18 — for some, a full two weeks after their first taste of competition. “We honestly got the best end of the draw,” Chen said after his practice Thursday morning at Capital Indoor Stadium, the arena in the heart of Beijing known for being the home of “ping-pong diplomacy” in the 1970s. “The pairs will have the hardest time moving from the front end to the back end.”,Also Read | US Senator slams China for picking Galwan soldier as Beijing 2022 torchbearer,How the team event shakes out could depend largely upon which skaters each nation selects. The Russians have a trio of women's medal favorites — Kamila Valieva, Alexandra Trusova and Anna Schherbakova — along with pairs favorites Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov. They also have strong dance teams, though their trio of men took a hit when Mikhail Kolyada had to withdraw following a positive COVID-19 test. The Japanese could send out two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu after he skipped the team event in Pyeongchang; Shoma Uno still won the short program for them. They also have medal contender Kaori Sakamoto, leaving the pairs team of Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara and ice dancers Misato Komatsubara and Tim Koleto to keep pace with their rivals. Also Read | US Figure Skating Championships: Madison Chock, Evan Bates win ice dance title,Canada might not have the same firepower it had four years ago, but pairs skater Eric Radford is back with new partner Vanessa James, and the ice dance team of Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier have medal expectations of their own. Then there's the American team. Along with Chen, they have another men's medal contender in high-flying but inconsistent Vincent Zhou, and veteran Jason Brown, whose fourth-place free skate during the team event in Sochi helped the U.S. win bronze. Ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, and Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker all have podium potential. Alysa Liu, Karen Chen and Mariah Bell are the U.S. options in the women's short program and free skate. And there are two pairs options in Beijing in Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier and Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc after the Americans qualified only one for the Pyeongchang Games. Also Read | Sean Rice, figure skater who appeared on Dancing on Ice, dies at 49,“I would love the opportunity to compete in that event,” said Bell, the 25-year-old U.S. champion who will be making her long-awaited Olympic debut. “I know they will pick who they feel is best, but I would love the opportunity to compete.”,So would Karen Chen. She sat out the team event in Pyeongchang along with Zhou and the dance teams of Chock and Bates and Hubbell and Donohue. And because they didn't compete in it, they also didn't take home a medal. “I would love to be a part of the team event and especially since I didn’t get to experience it last time, Karen Chen said, so if I’m able to, it’s going to be so much fun.”

{\"time\":1643879045531,\"strCount\":5606,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The team competition in <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/winterolympics/\\\">Olympic</a> <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/us-figure-skating-championships-madison-chock-evan-bates-win-ice-dance-title-162757/\\\">figure skating</a> has always been a three-team scramble for the podium.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"There's the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/russia/\\\">Russians</a>, who won gold at the event's 2014 debut in Sochi and silver in Pyeongchang. There's the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/canada/\\\">Canadians</a>, who took silver before finding gold four years later. And there's the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/unitedstates/\\\">Americans</a>, who have taken bronze each time.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"There could be a new player in the mix when competition begins Friday in Beijing, though. After back-to-back fifth-place finishes, the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/japan/\\\">Japanese</a> bring their strongest bunch yet to the Olympics, and could knock off the podium a Canadian team that no longer has retired Patrick Chan or ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir to pile up the points.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"As for the Americans? Perhaps they can finally move up a step or two on the podium.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/world/panda-diplomacy-why-beijing-pitched-bing-dwen-dwen-as-olympics-mascot-275635/\\\">Panda diplomacy: Why Beijing pitched Bing Dwen Dwen as Olympics mascot</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“It's important any time you compete,” said Nathan Chen, who performed his short program for the U.S. team in Pyeongchang and finished a lackluster fourth in it. “I'm going to try to do the best I can. I know the rest of us will, too.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Chen is among the favorites to win individual gold in Beijing, and the team event should give him a competitive warmup. He doesn't know whether he will skate his short program, free skate or both for the team — that decision will be made by Team USA shortly before competition — but he is a lock to compete at least once.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/who-is-arif-khan-607882/\\\">Arif Khan: India's only hope for a medal in Beijing 2022</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The order of events changed from Pyeongchang, when pairs followed the team event, and that means Chen and the rest of the men will be up next week. Pairs got the misfortune of heading to the back of the Olympic program, meaning they won't be on the ice again until Feb. 18 — for some, a full two weeks after their first taste of competition.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“We honestly got the best end of the draw,” Chen said after his practice Thursday morning at Capital Indoor Stadium, the arena in the heart of Beijing known for being the home of “ping-pong diplomacy” in the 1970s. “The pairs will have the hardest time moving from the front end to the back end.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/us-senator-jim-risch-slams-china-for-picking-galwan-soldier-beijing-2022-winter-olympics-torchbearer-259011/\\\">US Senator slams China for picking Galwan soldier as Beijing 2022 torchbearer</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"How the team event shakes out could depend largely upon which skaters each nation selects.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The Russians have a trio of women's medal favorites — Kamila Valieva, Alexandra Trusova and Anna Schherbakova — along with pairs favorites Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov. They also have strong dance teams, though their trio of men took a hit when Mikhail Kolyada had to withdraw following a positive COVID-19 test.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The Japanese could send out two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu after he skipped the team event in Pyeongchang; Shoma Uno still won the short program for them. They also have medal contender Kaori Sakamoto, leaving the pairs team of Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara and ice dancers Misato Komatsubara and Tim Koleto to keep pace with their rivals.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/us-figure-skating-championships-madison-chock-evan-bates-win-ice-dance-title-162757/\\\">US Figure Skating Championships: Madison Chock, Evan Bates win ice dance title</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Canada might not have the same firepower it had four years ago, but pairs skater Eric Radford is back with new partner Vanessa James, and the ice dance team of Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier have medal expectations of their own.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Then there's the American team.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Along with Chen, they have another men's medal contender in high-flying but inconsistent Vincent Zhou, and veteran Jason Brown, whose fourth-place free skate during the team event in Sochi helped the U.S. win bronze.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, and Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker all have podium potential. Alysa Liu, Karen Chen and Mariah Bell are the U.S. options in the women's short program and free skate. And there are two pairs options in Beijing in Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier and Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc after the Americans qualified only one for the Pyeongchang Games.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/entertainment/sean-rice-figure-skater-who-appeared-on-dancing-on-ice-dies-at-49-442418/\\\">Sean Rice, figure skater who appeared on Dancing on Ice, dies at 49</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“I would love the opportunity to compete in that event,” said Bell, the 25-year-old U.S. champion who will be making her long-awaited Olympic debut. “I know they will pick who they feel is best, but I would love the opportunity to compete.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"So would Karen Chen. She sat out the team event in Pyeongchang along with Zhou and the dance teams of Chock and Bates and Hubbell and Donohue. And because they didn't compete in it, they also didn't take home a medal.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“I would love to be a part of the team event and especially since I didn’t get to experience it last time,\\\" Karen Chen said, \\\"so if I’m able to, it’s going to be so much fun.”\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>The team competition in Olympic figure skating has always been a three-team scramble for the podium</li>
 <li>Russia won gold at the event's 2014 debut in Sochi and silver in Pyeongchang</li>
 <li>Canada took silver before finding gold four years later, and the US won bronze each time</li>
</ul>

Team event up 1st as Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics figure skating begins

Vaishnavi Vaidyanathan

Oakville, ON, Canada

Canadian figure skater Sean Rice, who appeared on Dancing on Ice star, had died at the age of 49. ,Several of his friends, who appeared on the ITV show, confirmed his death on Twitter. His cause of death was, however, unknown. ,Pro skaters are heartbroken today, we lost a true larger than life great - an epic skater, a husband, father, and my friend of 20 years. Sean Rice, 20/07/72 - 14/01/22 gone too soon, but we will Love You For A Thousand Years. All of our thoughts are with Signey and Jodeyne, Frankie Poultney wrote. ,Also Read: Jordan Cashmyer, '16 and Pregnant' star, dies at 26,Born on July 20, 1972, in Oakville, Canada, Sean Rice's initial success in skating came in the 1990s. He won the Canadian pairs bronze medal in 1993 with his partner, and later wife, Jodeyne Higgins. Again in 1995, they won the same award. Rice was also a four-time Canadian fours champion between 1993 and 1996. Also Read: Dead wife's relatives seek part of Robert Durst's fortune,After retiring from competitive figure skating, both of them worked for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. They had one child together, who was born in October 2013. Meanwhile, in 2011, Rice collaborated with British TV presenter Angela Ripon on ITV1’s Ice Dance. The following year, he competed with former Alpine Cup ski racer Chemmy Alcott. Also Read: MARTA CEO Jeffrey Parker dies at 55,Following his death, Alcott tweeted, Have just heard the tragic news that Sean Rice, my partner from DOI has passed away. The world will miss your amazing energy and you healing hands. All my love to J and S. x, Fellow Dancing on Ice star Alexandra Schauman also took to Twitter to pay tributes to him. There are literally no words to describe the pain and shock I am feeling right now, knowing I will never hear your laugh again Sean or be the recipient of your all-healing bear hugs or be able to share the ice and stage with you and Jodeyne like we had always planned to do again one day… I miss you and love you Tiny and I know heaven must be beautiful right now…cause it has you in it.”

{\"time\":1642362115538,\"strCount\":2428,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Canadian figure skater Sean Rice, who appeared on Dancing on Ice star, had <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/death/\\\">died</a> at the age of 49.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Several of his friends, who appeared on the ITV show, confirmed his death on Twitter. His cause of death was, however, unknown.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Pro skaters are heartbroken today, we lost a true larger than life great - an epic skater, a husband, father, and my friend of 20 years. Sean Rice, 20/07/72 - 14/01/22 gone too soon, but we will Love You For A Thousand Years. All of our thoughts are with Signey and Jodeyne,\\\" Frankie Poultney wrote.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/entertainment/jordan-cashmyer-16-and-pregnant-star-dies-at-26-379180/\\\">Jordan Cashmyer, '16 and Pregnant' star, dies at 26</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Born on July 20, 1972, in Oakville, Canada,&nbsp;Sean Rice's initial success in skating came in the 1990s. He won the Canadian pairs bronze medal in 1993 with his partner, and later wife, Jodeyne Higgins. Again in 1995, they won the same award. Rice was also a four-time Canadian fours champion between 1993 and 1996.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/world/dead-wifes-relatives-seek-part-of-robert-dursts-fortune-296496/\\\">Dead wife's relatives seek part of Robert Durst's fortune</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"After retiring from competitive figure skating, both of them worked for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.&nbsp;They had one child together, who was born in October 2013.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Meanwhile, in 2011, Rice collaborated with British TV presenter Angela Ripon on ITV1’s Ice Dance.&nbsp;The following year, he competed with former Alpine Cup ski racer Chemmy Alcott.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/world/metropolitan-atlanta-rapid-transit-authority-marta-ceo-jeffrey-parker-dies-at-55-658514/\\\">MARTA CEO Jeffrey Parker dies at 55</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Following his death, Alcott tweeted, \\\"Have just heard the tragic news that Sean Rice, my partner from DOI has passed away. The world will miss your amazing energy and you healing hands. All my love to J and S. x\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\n\\nFellow Dancing on Ice star Alexandra Schauman also took to Twitter to pay tributes to him.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"There are literally no words to describe the pain and shock I am feeling right now, knowing I will never hear your laugh again Sean or be the recipient of your all-healing bear hugs or be able to share the ice and stage with you and Jodeyne like we had always planned to do again one day… I miss you and love you Tiny and I know heaven must be beautiful right now…cause it has you in it.”\\n\\n\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>Canadian figure skater Sean Rice, who appeared on Dancing on Ice star, had died</li>
 <li>His cause of death was not known</li>
 <li>He was born on July 20, 1972</li>
</ul>

Opoyi Buzz

Sean Rice, figure skater who appeared on Dancing on Ice, dies at 49

TVShow

Death

Aman Butani

Nashville, TN, USA

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, who performed against Madison Chock and Evan Bates on Saturday at the United States Figure Skating Championships, opened up about their struggles with COVID-19 and the disease has impacted the performing sport. Those participating in the tournament were taking a risk while traveling to Nashville, where COVID-19 infections have been surging since this year's start. ,Also Read: Winter Olympics in Beijing will go ahead as planned: IOC,Donohue emphasised that his pair had the option to just back out saying its not worth it, however, he said, But this is our last nationals, and we fully trust ourselves and the team that we have around us, including US Figure Skating, to keep us safe, to take care of us, according to reports from USA Today. Those of us who are here and are still fighting for our spots and who have our own goals and our own mission at these championships – it's about a lot more than succumbing to the fear of the pandemic, he added. Also Read: Japan won’t send government officials to Beijing Winter Olympics,However, not everyone had to option to participate in the tournament. Multiple people-- including one man, two women, one pair team and once ice dance team-- stepped back from the championship citing reasons connected to COVID-19. Three-time Olympian Todd Eldredge said that he had tested positive for the disease after arriving at the venue. Also Read: NHL says players will not participate in Beijing Winter Olympics,Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier were forced to withdraw after a positive COVID test before nationals even began. Knierim and Frazier were the heavy favorites coming into the week. As usual this week, there were more positive COVID-19 tests Saturday: men's competitor William Hubbart and ice dancers Raffaella Koncius and Alexey Shchepetov had to withdraw. They joined two-time United States champ Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn and defending pairs champs Knierim and Frazier in sitting out at least a portion of the competition. (With AP inputs)

{\"time\":1641701574421,\"strCount\":2537,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, who performed against&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/us-figure-skating-championships-madison-chock-evan-bates-win-ice-dance-title-162757/\\\">Madison Chock and Evan Bates</a> on Saturday at the&nbsp;United States Figure Skating Championships, opened up about their struggles with COVID-19 and the disease has impacted the performing sport.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Those participating in the tournament were taking a risk while traveling to&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/tennessee/\\\">Nashville</a>, where COVID-19 infections have been surging since this year's start.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/winter-olympics-in-beijing-will-go-ahead-as-planned-ioc-212763/\\\">Winter Olympics in Beijing will go ahead as planned: IOC</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Donohue emphasised that his pair had the option to just back out saying \\\"its not worth it\\\", however, he said, \\\"But this is our last nationals, and we fully trust ourselves and the team that we have around us, including US Figure Skating, to keep us safe, to take care of us\\\", according to reports from USA Today.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Those of us who are here and are still fighting for our spots and who have our own goals and our own mission at these championships&nbsp;–&nbsp;it's about a lot more than succumbing to the fear of the pandemic\\\", he added.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/japan-wont-send-government-officials-to-beijing-winter-olympics-113139/\\\">Japan won’t send government officials to Beijing Winter Olympics</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"However, not everyone had to option to participate in the tournament. Multiple people-- including one man, two women, one pair team and once ice dance team-- stepped back from the championship citing reasons connected to COVID-19.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Three-time Olympian&nbsp;Todd Eldredge said that he had tested positive for the disease after arriving at the venue.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/nhl-to-withdraw-players-from-beijing-winter-olympics-report-141945/\\\">NHL says players will not participate in Beijing Winter Olympics</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier were forced to withdraw after a positive COVID test before nationals even began. Knierim and Frazier were the heavy favorites coming into the week.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"As usual this week, there were more positive COVID-19 tests Saturday: men's competitor William Hubbart and ice dancers Raffaella Koncius and Alexey Shchepetov had to withdraw. They joined two-time United States champ Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn and defending pairs champs Knierim and Frazier in sitting out at least a portion of the competition.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"(With AP inputs)\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>Madison Hubbell and Donohue lost the ice dance title on Saturday</li>
 <li>The competition was hosted in COVID rattled city of Nashville</li>
 <li>Multiple players and staff were forced to step back after testing positive</li>
</ul>

US figure skating and COVID: Athletes unsettled after several outbreaks

covid19

Pandemic

Madison Chock and Evan Bates answered a passionate, near-flawless performance by Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue with a mesmerizing, out-of-this-world show of their own Saturday night to win their third ice dance title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. With Chock portraying an alien in haute couture, and real-life partner Bates an astronaut, the couple danced their way through a medley by French electronic duo Daft Punk to earn a career-best 227.37 points and a standing ovation. “It just feels so good to accomplish goals you set out for yourself,” Chock said, “and this is a goal we’ve had ever since winning our last national title, getting back on top of that podium.”,Also Read | Winter Olympics in Beijing will go ahead as planned: IOC,Chock and Bates did just enough to hold off Hubbell and Donohue, the defending champions, who had a career-best score of 225.59 in their final nationals appearance. When it came to a conclusion, the two of them dropped to the surface inside the Bridgestone Arena in an embrace so warm it could have easily melted the ice. Chock and Bates have traded the national title with Hubbell and Donohue for years, and now they will take their rivalry to the Beijing Olympics. Both teams are considered medals contenders there. It will be the third straight trip for Chock and Bates, and a record fourth overall for Bates, who went to the 2010 Winter Games with former partner Emily Samuelson. Also Read | Does smog-prone Beijing support China's bid for greenest Winter Olympic Games?,“I think the perspective on everything has changed a lot over the last four years. The last two years especially, the way the world has been turned upside down, Bates said. “It's just a constant reminder to be grateful for what we have.”,Katilin Hawayak and Jean-Luc Baker put together a sizzling performance of their own in the free dance, leaping over Caroline Green and Michael Parsons into third place and likely giving them the third slot on the U.S. team for Beijing. Earlier in the night, Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc laid down a dazzling pairs program that Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson were unable to match to earn the national title and a likely spot in next month's Olympics. Also Read | Japan won’t send government officials to Beijing Winter Olympics,The other spot could go to Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier, who were forced to withdraw after he tested positive for COVID-19 before nationals even began. Knierim and Frazier were the heavy favorites coming into the week. “I don’t have a lot of words,” said Cain-Gribble, who was hospitalized with COVID-19 last summer. “We’ve visualized this moment so many times and to have done a performance like that, and the whole week the way it went — it’s just surreal.”,Cain-Gribble and LeDuc led Calalang and Johnson by two points after their short program, and the 2019 champions nailed every element from an opening triple twist to an incredible finishing death spiral to finish with 225.23 points. That put them well ahead of Calalang and Johnson, who couldn't overcome three early mistakes in their free skate to finish second with 209.87 points — likely dashing their Olympic dream. Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov were third. Also Read | Without the NHL, Russia emerges as favourite for Olympic gold,“The way it was explained to us is a lot more emphasis is on nationals, but they still take into account the whole season,” Johnson said. You can have an amazing season, win two Grand Prix's and medal at the Grand Prix Final, then come to nationals and get third, a fluke or something. I think that should weigh into it. Good system.”,As usual this week, there were more positive COVID-19 tests Saturday: men's competitor William Hubbart and ice dancers Raffaella Koncius and Alexey Shchepetov had to withdraw. They joined two-time U.S. champ Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn and defending pairs champs Knierim and Frazier in sitting out at least a portion of the competition. Like Knierim and Frazier, Liu petitioned U.S. Figure Skating for a spot in Beijing. She was chosen by a committee Saturday along with newly minted U.S. champ Mariah Bell and runner-up Karen Chen, who will appear in her second Olympics. “I've basically been training forever for this moment,” said Liu, adding that she felt fine health-wise, “and I'm really happy (with) the decisions I've made, because apparently they were all pretty good ones. I'm here right now.”,Also making some good decisions? Nathan Chen and Vincent Zhou. ,Chen began pursuit of his sixth consecutive national title by setting a record of 115.39 points during his quad-tacular short program. Zhou followed with a personal-best 112.78 points that included a quad lutz-triple toe loop. The free skate is Sunday. “This is up there,” Chen said, when asked how his program and the other men's routines stacked up historically. “There's been amazing performances done over the history of skating. I can't say it's definitive, but certainly during my career it's one of the standout few.”

{\"time\":1641701110675,\"strCount\":5703,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Madison Chock and Evan Bates answered a passionate, near-flawless performance by Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue with a mesmerizing, out-of-this-world show of their own Saturday night to win their third ice dance title at the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/unitedstates/\\\">U.S.</a> <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/figureskating/\\\">Figure Skating</a> Championships.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"With Chock portraying an alien in haute couture, and real-life partner Bates an astronaut, the couple danced their way through a medley by French electronic duo <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/daftpunk/\\\">Daft Punk</a> to earn a career-best 227.37 points and a standing ovation.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“It just feels so good to accomplish goals you set out for yourself,” Chock said, “and this is a goal we’ve had ever since winning our last national title, getting back on top of that podium.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/winter-olympics-in-beijing-will-go-ahead-as-planned-ioc-212763/\\\">Winter Olympics in Beijing will go ahead as planned: IOC</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Chock and Bates did just enough to hold off Hubbell and Donohue, the defending champions, who had a career-best score of 225.59 in their final nationals appearance. When it came to a conclusion, the two of them dropped to the surface inside the Bridgestone Arena in an embrace so warm it could have easily melted the ice.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Chock and Bates have traded the national title with Hubbell and Donohue for years, and now they will take their rivalry to the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/winterolympics/\\\">Beijing Olympics</a>. Both teams are considered medals contenders there. It will be the third straight trip for Chock and Bates, and a record fourth overall for Bates, who went to the 2010 Winter Games with former partner Emily Samuelson.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/does-smog-prone-capital-beijing-support-chinas-bid-for-first-ever-carbon-neutral-winter-olympic-games-323149/\\\">Does smog-prone Beijing support China's bid for greenest Winter Olympic Games?</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“I think the perspective on everything has changed a lot over the last four years. The last two years especially, the way the world has been turned upside down,\\\" Bates said. “It's just a constant reminder to be grateful for what we have.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Katilin Hawayak and Jean-Luc Baker put together a sizzling performance of their own in the free dance, leaping over Caroline Green and Michael Parsons into third place and likely giving them the third slot on the U.S. team for Beijing.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Earlier in the night, Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc laid down a dazzling pairs program that Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson were unable to match to earn the national title and a likely spot in next month's Olympics.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/japan-wont-send-government-officials-to-beijing-winter-olympics-113139/\\\">Japan won’t send government officials to Beijing Winter Olympics</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The other spot could go to Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier, who were forced to withdraw after he tested positive for COVID-19 before nationals even began. Knierim and Frazier were the heavy favorites coming into the week.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“I don’t have a lot of words,” said Cain-Gribble, who was hospitalized with COVID-19 last summer. “We’ve visualized this moment so many times and to have done a performance like that, and the whole week the way it went — it’s just surreal.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Cain-Gribble and LeDuc led Calalang and Johnson by two points after their short program, and the 2019 champions nailed every element from an opening triple twist to an incredible finishing death spiral to finish with 225.23 points.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"That put them well ahead of Calalang and Johnson, who couldn't overcome three early mistakes in their free skate to finish second with 209.87 points — likely dashing their Olympic dream. Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov were third.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/without-the-nhl-russia-emerges-as-favourite-for-olympic-gold-102755/\\\">Without the NHL, Russia emerges as favourite for Olympic gold</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“The way it was explained to us is a lot more emphasis is on nationals, but they still take into account the whole season,” Johnson said. \\\"You can have an amazing season, win two Grand Prix's and medal at the Grand Prix Final, then come to nationals and get third, a fluke or something. I think that should weigh into it. Good system.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"As usual this week, there were more positive COVID-19 tests Saturday: men's competitor William Hubbart and ice dancers Raffaella Koncius and Alexey Shchepetov had to withdraw. They joined two-time U.S. champ Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn and defending pairs champs Knierim and Frazier in sitting out at least a portion of the competition.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Like Knierim and Frazier, Liu petitioned U.S. Figure Skating for a spot in Beijing. She was chosen by a committee Saturday along with newly minted U.S. champ Mariah Bell and runner-up Karen Chen, who will appear in her second Olympics.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“I've basically been training forever for this moment,” said Liu, adding that she felt fine health-wise, “and I'm really happy (with) the decisions I've made, because apparently they were all pretty good ones. I'm here right now.”\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also making some good decisions? Nathan Chen and Vincent Zhou.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Chen began pursuit of his sixth consecutive national title by setting a record of 115.39 points during his quad-tacular short program. Zhou followed with a personal-best 112.78 points that included a quad lutz-triple toe loop. The free skate is Sunday.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“This is up there,” Chen said, when asked how his program and the other men's routines stacked up historically. “There's been amazing performances done over the history of skating. I can't say it's definitive, but certainly during my career it's one of the standout few.”\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>Madison Chock and Evan Bates danced their way through a medley by French electronic duo Daft Punk</li>
 <li>They earned a career-best 227.37 points and a standing ovation for their performance</li>
 <li>Chock and Bates have traded the national title with Hubbell and Donohue for years</li>
</ul>

#FigureSkating