U.S. ice dancers Evan Bates and Madison Chock remember the empty feeling as they trod back to their rooms in Beijing, not long after being told that the ceremony to present their Olympic medals had been called off.
Before going to sleep, one final blow: On their beds sat empty black-and-gold boxes, with notes inside signed from IOC President Thomas Bach. “An Olympic medal is forever,” the note began. The boxes were supposed to be the perfect spot for the skaters to place the medals they never received.
In an unprecedented move, Olympic officials decided not to award medals at the games after news that 15-year-old Kamila Valieva, who had led Russia to a first-place finish, had tested positive for a performance enhancer months earlier. For the most part, the residuals that often stem from an athlete’s Olympic moment have not come their way either. For most of the skaters, the prospect of media tours, post-Olympic shows, sponsorships and the like have been waylaid. Most are well aware that many moments that were supposed to feel celebratory would eventually lead back to the same query: “Where’s your medal?”
When Tracy Marek began as CEO of U.S. Figure Skating in January, the still-unresolved medals case was at the top of her inbox. Bates and Chock recalled the emotional meeting they had with Bach, the leader of the International Olympic Committee, the day after their ceremony had been canceled. They still have the Olympic torches he offered them as a goodwill gesture while the medals were sorted out.
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