By Sakura Murakami
BEIJING (Reuters) – On the sidelines of the doping scandal involving Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, the skaters of Team Japan are hoping to receive their medals for the figure skating team event in Beijing, the Japan Olympic Committee said on Sunday.
“They’re not really thinking about the doping issue or what medal they’ll get. They’re more interested in the medal ceremony and wondering whether they will be able to collect their medals while in Beijing,” Japan’s chef de mission, Hidehito Ito, told a news conference.
The Japanese skaters came third in the team figure skating event on Monday, behind Russia and the United States, before news broke of a positive doping test involving 15-year-old Valieva, part of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) ensemble that won the event.
Valieva’s future at the Games is due to be decided after a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing at 8:30 p.m. Beijing time (1230 GMT).
The teams from the United States and Japan are also awaiting the final results.
“The athletes are a bit disappointed that they have to wait for the medal ceremony to happen – they had really worked so hard for that medal,” Ito said.
The chef de mission said the Japan Olympic Committee would accept the results of the doping case.
“It’s a shame that the timing of the medal ceremony hasn’t been decided yet, but it doesn’t concern Japan, so we would like to refrain from commenting on Valieva’s case,” Ito said.
“We believe that the relevant organisations will take the necessary steps so we won’t comment on the issue,” he said.
(Reporting by Sakura Murakami; Editing by Robert Birsel)
