No medal, no flower for Kamila Valieva if she medals. She gets an asterisk instead

BEIJING — If Kamila Valieva wins a medal in the women’s singles figure skating event, she will have an asterisk next to her name in the Olympic records until her doping case is concluded.

“They will be preliminary,” International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman Mark Adams said at the daily IOC/BOCOG press briefing Wednesday, “obviously pending further investigation.”

He pointed out the 15-year-old, who tested positive for a banned substance on Christmas Day, has not yet had her B sample tested.

Once Valieva’s case winds it way through the due process system, which could take many months, she either will be a medalist with no asterisk if she is found innocent and/or given no sanctions, or her record will be expunged if the alternative decision is reached.

IOC officials said an asterisk has not yet appeared next to the team figure skating event simply because of the difficulty in adjusting the coding on the websites.

Valieva is in the lead after the short program at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games and is the overwhelming favorite to win the gold medal. Although her score of 82.16 points was well off her world record of 90.45, it took personal bests from Russian Olympic Committee teammate Anna Shcherbakova (80.20) and Japanese skater Sakamoto Kaori (79.84) to even come close.

She is also expected to attempt at least one quadruple jump in the free skate. She landed two in the team event to become the first woman to land a quad in Olympic competition.

The IOC has decreed that there will be no flower ceremony or medal ceremony until the case is over. It is also unlikely that Valieva will attend the press conference.

After the short program, she was whisked through the mixed zone without speaking to reporters and declined to attend the press conference though a placard was set at her seat at the table.

The IOC strongly encourages medalists to attend their press conference, although IOC officials said it is not mandatory after a medal round. And, technically, since no medals are awarded, the free skate is not a medal round.

Adams said “we should make every effort, and they should make every effort” to attend the press conference. “We would like them to,” Adams added, “but particularly in this case, I am not sure we would be able to or should even force her to appear at a press conference, so I think it probably would be very unlikely.”

With mental health now a focus, particularly in the wake of the immense pressure placed on Simone Biles during the Tokyo 2020 Games, where she withdrew during the team event, Valieva’s well-being is being questioned.

Adams said the IOC is in touch with the Russian Olympic Committee team.