11champions has emerged from the school,
rival skaters and coaches have accused head
coach Eteri Tutberidze and her team of put-
ting medals above their athletes’ long-term
success and health. Until Valieva, however,
none of her skaters has been known to test
positive for a banned substance. “It doesn’t
feel like they are coaches at all, but dog
trainers,” says Adam Rippon, a 2018 bronze
medalist and coach of current Olympian
Mariah Bell. “They’re running a circus.”
Because Valieva is a minor, antidoping
officials are focusing their investigation on
the adults around her. The 15-year-old’s
sample contained trimetazidine (TMZ), a
heart medication prescribed to people with
angina to improve blood flow. TMZ is on
the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned
list because it can be used by athletes to
enhance performance by helping the heart
muscle endure longer bouts of training. Her
sample also reportedly contained two other
allowed substances that can help improve
blood flow and possibly endurance.
Valieva’s lawyer argued that she could
have been “contaminated” with TMZ,
which her grandfather takes, by sharing a
drinking glass or coming into contact with
a surface where the medication was placed.
Many experts are skeptical. While he isn’t
privy to details of the case, Dr. Steven Nis-
sen, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic,
says the contamination route is “very far-
fetched. It seems very, very unlikely.”
The fact that Valieva continued to com-
pete raises more profound questions for the
Olympic movement and its mission to pro-
mote fair play in sports. Athletes and anti-
doping officials have criticized what they
call the weak punishment of the Russian
program, arguing that only a complete ban
of the country from all international events
could even begin to stop the continued flout-
ing of doping rules. Without such aggressive
action, it’s the athletes who bear the burden
of the consequences. “This is a big hit to the
Olympic movement,” says Canadian Scott
Moir, a coach and two-time Olympic gold
medalist in ice dancing. “I’m questioning
why I walked into schools for the past
12 years of my life and told kids what pride
I took in being an Olympian.”
◁
The 15-year-old Valieva
has become the biggest
story of the Games for
all the wrong reasons
CLIMATEArtificial snow’s
slippery slopeslippery slope
BY CHAD DE GUZMANNearly 100% of the snow at the
2022 Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
was artificial—pumped out by was artificial—pumped out by
snow machines rather than by snow machines rather than by
Mother Nature. Mother Nature.
The lack of natural snow is The lack of natural snow is
a first for the Winter Games—a first for the Winter Games—
though the machine-made stuff though the machine-made stuff
has become increasingly com-has become increasingly com-
mon. Artificial snow was first mon. Artificial snow was first
used at the 1980 Winter Olym-used at the 1980 Winter Olym-
pics in Lake Placid, N.Y., to sup-pics in Lake Placid, N.Y., to sup-
plement natural snowfall. It has plement natural snowfall. It has
grown substantially in impor-grown substantially in impor-
tance since. About 80% of the tance since. About 80% of the
snow used in Sochi in 2014 was snow used in Sochi in 2014 was
artificial, and up to 98% of the artificial, and up to 98% of the
snow for the 2018 PyeongChang snow for the 2018 PyeongChang
Games was machine-made.Games was machine-made.
The reliance on artificial snow The reliance on artificial snow
in Beijing highlights an escalat-in Beijing highlights an escalat-
ing problem with hosting a snow-ing problem with hosting a snow-
based global event as the climate based global event as the climate
changes. There is essentially no changes. There is essentially no
natural snowfall in the Chinese natural snowfall in the Chinese
capital, and the average daytime capital, and the average daytime capital, and the average daytime
temperature does not drop below temperature does not drop below
freezing in February. Beijing has freezing in February. Beijing has
also faced decades- also faced decades- long chronic long chronic
water scarcity; available fresh water scarcity; available fresh
water is just 7% of the U.N. stan-water is just 7% of the U.N. stan-
dard for water sufficiency. dard for water sufficiency.
Beijing organizers said the Beijing organizers said theestimated 49 million gal. of water estimated 49 million gal. of water
needed to cover ski slopes—needed to cover ski slopes—
some of which are outside the some of which are outside the
city—would not strain water city—would not strain water
supplies. Chinese leaders have supplies. Chinese leaders have
touted the 2022 Games as the touted the 2022 Games as the
greenest ever—using wind and greenest ever—using wind and
solar energy to power the snow solar energy to power the snow
machines. But “to rely 100% machines. But “to rely 100%
on artificial snow does signal on artificial snow does signal
that the Olympics have landed that the Olympics have landed
in a place that is not climatically in a place that is not climatically
suitable,” says Madeleine Orr, a suitable,” says Madeleine Orr, a
sports ecologist at Loughborough sports ecologist at Loughborough
University in the U.K. Even artifi-University in the U.K. Even artifi-
cial snow can only substitute for cial snow can only substitute for
the real stuff if temperatures are the real stuff if temperatures are
low enough to keep it from melt-low enough to keep it from melt-
ing. “If we have certain mountain ing. “If we have certain mountain
regions that are just too warm, no regions that are just too warm, no
amount of snowmaking is going amount of snowmaking is going
to fix that,” Orr says.to fix that,” Orr says.
Indeed, a January study from Indeed, a January study from
the University of Waterloo in Can-the University of Waterloo in Can-
ada found that only one of the ada found that only one of the
21 previous hosts of the Winter 21 previous hosts of the Winter
Games—Sapporo, Japan—would Games—Sapporo, Japan—would
still have the requisite precipita-still have the requisite precipita-
tion and temperatures to stage tion and temperatures to stage
the Games by 2080. the Games by 2080.Artificial snow covers Beijing’s National Alpine Skiing Center Feb. 6Artificial snow covers Beijing’s National Alpine Skiing Center Feb. 6‘The Olympics have
landed in a place
not climatically
suitable.’
—MADELEINE ORR,
SPORTS ECOLOGISTSPORTS ECOLOGIST