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Figure Skating Medal Ceremony Delayed Due To ‘Legal Consultation’ After Positive Drug Test

BEIJING, CHINA - FEBRUARY 07: Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov of Team Russia skate during the Pair Skating Free Skating Team Event on day three of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Capital Indoor Stadium on February 07, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Wednesday that the medal ceremony for team figure skating would be delayed because of “legal consultation.”

The delay was reportedly due to a positive drug test of one member of Russia’s six-person team, though names have not been named.

Russian athletes are competing as Team Russian Olympic Committee as a consequence of a 2019 doping scandal.

The ceremony for the Russian-won event was first moved from Monday to Tuesday evening before its indefinite postponement.

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“A situation arose at short notice that requires legal consultation,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said. “You can bet your bottom dollar we are doing everything that this situation can be resolved as soon as possible. I cannot give you any more details, but we will do our utmost.”

Also on Wednesday, Russian skaters Anastasia Mishina, Aleksandr Galliamov, Mark Kondratiuk, and 15-year-old star Kamila Valieva were reportedly absent from practice for unknown reasons.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow had “heard no official statements and let us judge based on them, because we are currently based on media reports only.”