Along with the many question marks, there are a few things that are known in the Russian skating affair of Camila and Aliba.
One is that since she shone in the past year, at age 15, to the top of figure skating, she has quickly soared to a position where commentators have unhesitatingly defined her as the best skater in history.
Not a trivial matter in an industry of more than a hundred years of history, and probably the only sport where women's competitions are much more popular than men.
In fact, the women's skating final is one of the most watched Olympic sporting events.
Despite the very aesthetic image of the industry - it is actually very measurable, and the results are mainly an accumulation of elements.
Although Aliba is only the fourth woman to perform "Quadripol" - four rounds in the air - but with a very strong background in gymnastics and ballet, she does so much more than anyone else.
Skating has world records, it has already broken them all and by imaginary gaps.
For example, 272 points for a general score - which slips in second place with a record of 247. The gap is as large as it sounds and its runner-up is closer to 20th place than to Valiva.
So at the start of the Winter Olympics coming to an end in Beijing, it made the first quarterback in the history of the Games and led Russia to gold in the team competition.
Last Wednesday she was still the icon of the games.
Then everything started to go wrong.
What do you have a girl?
It turned out that Valieva is competing despite a positive result she received after a drug test in December.
The Russian Anti-Drug Agency detected signs of trimethazidine in her, but accepted her appeal and allowed her to participate in the Games.
The medal competition of the group competition was postponed and the International Olympic Committee, the International Agency for the War on Drugs and the Skating Association sought to change the decision and prevent Waleyba from participating in the individual competition.
The matter came before the Sports Arbitration Tribunal.
Trimtazidine is a banned drug used in sports competitions.
Apparently it helps the aerobic capacity in improving blood flow to the heart.
Therefore, theoretically it is supposed to help athletes in industries like cycling and long-distance running, but in a technical industry like figure skating the benefit is completely unclear (with the caveat that perhaps the drug allows for longer training hours).
In the meantime, it was revealed - in a leak from the laboratory that performed the test - that two other substances, albeit legal, that improve performance were discovered at Valiba.
What on the surface looks like a cocktail that just wasn’t designed well enough.
The various sanctions against Russia in recent years - its athletes are barred from participating under its banner and its anthem is not played for medal winners - have not really worked.
Even their excuses did not improve - this time it was alleged that Valieva took her grandfather's medication.
And Aliba.
Did the pressure affect ?, Photo: AFP
The tribunal denied the request of the international sports organizations and allowed Valiva to participate in the individual competition.
But this is the place to understand once and for all that the world sports organizations should not be treated in the singular or singular and come to conclusions such as "they decided this way because of the ratings" or "decided this way because it is Russia" or "to prevent war in Ukraine".
As mentioned, the Skating Association, the Olympic Committee and the International Agency for the War on Drugs in general wanted its immediate removal.
The International Court of Sport is a completely independent body.
He sits in Lausanne, Switzerland and moves to the Olympic Games site during the event.
It discusses every international sport in the world - for example transfer fees when players move between football teams.
And in a maze of speculations and positions, do what serious courts do: Read the law.
The law states that everyone under the age of 16 is a "protected person."
One of their defenses is that in examining their cases the personal guilt will be examined.
What is the importance?
Ordinary drug offenses are offenses of absolute liability.
You fail the test - you are guilty.
The explanations are only about the severity of the punishment.
But not for minors, and the age of the minors is set here at 16.
They have to prove guilt.
Advocate Nachshon Shochat, a leading criminal lawyer and also a marathon runner and sports historian, says that the law actually imposes an almost impossible burden of proof.
It is difficult to prove that the minor was an entrepreneur or at least was fully aware that he was receiving performance-enhancing drugs.
"You can't expect a little girl to understand what her medication is," says Shochat, adding that the context of the decision needs to be understood: "All in all, they determined that she could participate.
It can still be disqualified.
Simply disqualification before the competition is irreversible damage. '
And the court's decision does mention the enormous damage that will be done to the girl.
And against the background of all this it is important to mention one of the few signs of sanity in this affair.
In a precedent-setting move, the Olympic Committee ruled that there would be no Mother Medal ceremony and, as expected, a medalist.
He will wait for the end of the investigation, which may take months.
They also asked that 25 skaters take part in the final and not 24, in case Valieva is disqualified and another skater gets her place in the final.
A possible scenario is to disqualify the results of Valieva and the Russian team - but clear Valieva of personal guilt.
American hypocrisy
There are a few things to hope for that will change in the wake of the Valiva affair.
One is that one should consider stopping children from participating in the Olympics, especially if they are not exposed to the same "fair play" rules.
The problem is that for generations we have been enjoying gymnastics and skating and jumping into the water.
The price is well known and well documented.
It is impossible to hide.
It happens and is exposed in the west and happens in the east and happens in Asia.
From children, and especially from childhood, their childhood is deprived of sporting hard labor.
Morning news, in countries of all cultures, cases of sexual assault, beatings, starvation, abuse, pedophilia and every other possible horrific matter are popping up.
Valieva's alleged doping is also not a new case.
And on the other hand it is ironic to hear the claims of the Americans for the removal of the protection of minors in this case - a spectacular position in its audacity to the country that sent to the last Olympics a team of gymnasts many of whose members were raped in a horrific affair.
Valiva with tears during the exercise, Photo: Reuters
Valieva is just another example of the tragedy of a girl born with too much talent.
It seems that those who drugged her will continue to enjoy the protection of the Russian system.
A drug affair exposed in the UK regarding British riders, or the exemption the U.S. receives for NBA players - only adds fuel to the Russians' sense of persecution.
If there was still a small favor in the whole affair, it was that because of the Corona's restrictions - the games are held in front of a small audience of skating delegations, referees and officials.
Valieva was received with applause and a lot of sympathy when she went up to the short exercise that is the qualifying stage.
She performed the exercise to the tune of "Memorium" by Russian pianist-pianist Kirill Richter.
The Tatar girl born in Kazan chose this music in memory of her grandmother who passed away in 2019.
She went through a whole life in a week - wondering if the dream of her life was being ignored, wondering if the adults in her life had betrayed her.
She stumbled slightly in the first jump but her huge technical gap raised her to the long drill and final from first place.
It seems that only on the skating rink, when the sharp metal blades cut the ice and the music accompanies it, is it really in its own protected world.
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