It's been over 500 days since the United States figure skating team won silver at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and they still don't have their medals.
The U.S. finished second behind the Russian Olympic Committee in team skating. The medal ceremony was postponed, however, following a revelation that then-15-year-old Russian athlete Kamila Valieva tested positive for a banned substance two months before the games, prompting an investigation by the International Olympic Committee. This marked the first time in Olympic history that the athletes were not awarded their medals at the podium.
The legal process continues, and if a decision is made to disqualify the Russian Olympic Committee, the U.S. team could be elevated to gold.
Olympians Alexa Knierim, Brandon Frazier and Vincent Zhou, all 2022 Olympic medalists who have yet to receive their medals, spoke with TODAY's Hoda Kotb about the situation and how they're anxiously awaiting a decision.
"It felt like a sting on the history of figure skating and the Olympics," Zhuo said. "It reflects poorly on the integrity of sport in the Olympics in general.
"There's been a shocking lack of transparency and communication, not just to the public, but to the athletes themselves."
The World Anti-Doping Agency is sorting out the case involving Valieva. Ahead of the start of the women’s competition in February 2022, it came to light that the teen reportedly tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, a heart medication, back in December 2021.
After helping the Russian team win gold during the first week of the Olympics, her failed drug test put the medal placements and ceremony on hold. Valieva’s drug test also showed that she tested positive for hypoxen and L-Carnitine, two other heart medication drugs that are not banned.
The controversy raised questions about Valieva’s coaches and doctors allowing her to compete in the Olympics.
Months later, in June 2022, the International Skating Union voted to change the minimum age from senior skaters from 15 to 17 to protect athletes’ physical and mental health.
In January of this year, Russia’s anti-doping agency, RUSDSA, said Valieva bore no fault. The WADA appealed. The case is now in the hands of the Court of Arbitration of Sport.
CAS announced on June 22 that the hearing will take place Sept. 26 through 29 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Following the hearing, the CAS Panel will deliberate and prepare a decision. The hearing will not be open to the public, and it is unclear if the final decision will be announced at the end of the hearing in September or if further deliberations will be required.