The 15-year-old Hualiwa led the Russian Olympic Committee to win a gold medal in the team event earlier this month, but was revealed the next day following failing a drug test at the end of the year. The U.S. team, which originally won the silver medal, entrusted a lawyer yesterday to send a letter to the IOC requesting a supplementary award ceremony before the closing ceremony tonight.
The U.S. team failed to take away the silver medal, and the pair skaters were also in trouble. Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier used “House of the Rising Sun” at the time, and NBC, which broadcast the game, was sued by the band Heavy Young Heathens, and NBC has removed the clip.
A group of figure skating stars will perform at the show today. Chen Wei, who won the men’s single skating championship for the U.S. team, and Yuzuru Hanyu, the Japanese team’s “Ice Prince”, will appear separately. Hanyu was spun around in a circle by Liu Xinyu, a Chinese ice dancer who was a friend, drawing cheers from the audience. He also said that although he failed in the three-game winning streak and the 4-week semi-jump challenge, he felt more mature following this year’s competition and would continue to strive for performance.
