Panel dismisses U.S. figure skaters' appeal for medal ceremony

Feb. 19 (UPI) -- A panel of arbitrators on Saturday dismissed nine U.S. figure skaters' appeal to be presented silver medals in a public ceremony before the close of the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.

The panel decided to dismiss the appeal after holding a hearing through video-conference, according to a statement from the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The decision means the International Olympic Committee Executive Board's decision not to hold a public ceremony for the nine figure skaters during the Winter Games stands.

Skaters Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubell, Alexa Knierem and Vincent Zhou, who earned the silver medal in the figure skating team event, appealed the IOC's decision by filing an application with the CAS.

Strong performances from Chock and Bates helped clinch the silver medals earlier this month.

On the Russian team, 15-year-old Kamila Valieva became the first woman to land a quad jump, helping her team win the gold.

Valieva has been marred by controversy after a sample collected Dec. 25 at the Russian figure skating championships tested positive for a banned substance on Tuesday of last week.

Arbitrators cleared Valieva on Monday to compete after she was suspended over the detection of the banned substance.

The sample taken from Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart medication designed mostly for older people suffering from angina, a condition which causes chest pain when the heart muscle doesn't get enough blood. The World Anti-Doping Agency has banned trimetazidine since 2014 for its potential to enhance blood flow efficiency and aid endurance.

In its decision to allow her to perform, the CAS said preventing her from competing "would cause her irreparable harm," and emphasized her status as a "protected person" because of her age.

After Valieva struggled with her performance Friday, stumbling and hitting the ice multiple times, the IOC President Thomas Bach criticized her entourage, calling their reaction, "chilling" and saying he was "very disturbed."