Attorneys for the U.S. figure skaters whose Olympic silver medals are being withheld have notified the IOC that they have filed an appeal to have them awarded before the end of the Beijing Games, The Associated Press has learned.
In a letter sent to IOC president Thomas Bach on Saturday, a copy of which was obtained by the AP, attorneys said they would ask the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a ruling before Sunday’s closing ceremony.
“Our clients seek the legal right they have earned to be given their silver medals in a public ceremony at the Olympic Games prior to the Closing Ceremony,” the letter from Global Sports Advocates reads.
The attorneys say they represent Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim and Vincent Zhou. Those were the skaters who specifically competed in the team event.
“Our clients have trained a lifetime for this opportunity to have their achievements publicly recognized before the world,” the letter continued.
Kamila Valieva led the Russian team to a victory in last week’s team event, and the U.S. finished second. Soon after, a positive doping test for the 15-year-old skater was disclosed. CAS allowed her to continue skating, but the International Olympic Committee said it would not award medals in any events in which she finished among the top three.
The Russians won the event by a large margin. Japan was third and Canada finished fourth.
The letter from the Americans cites the IOC’s “own rules mandate that a victory ceremony ‘to present medals to the athletes shall follow the conclusion of each sports event.’”
In a meeting earlier this week with the skaters, Bach offered to present them with Olympic torches as something of a holdover memento while the doping case, which could take months, or even years, plays out.
The attorneys said they hoped the IOC would reconsider but that because of the urgency, they were filing the appeal.
U.S. Figure Skating executive director Ramsey Baker sent the AP a statement standing in support of the skaters.
“Having a medal ceremony at an Olympic Games is not something that can be replicated anywhere else,” Baker said, “and they should be celebrated in front of the world before leaving Beijing.”
The letter from the Americans cites the IOC’s “own rules mandate that a victory ceremony ‘to present medals to the athletes shall follow the conclusion of each sports event.’”
Travis Pittman contributed to this report.