Olympic figure skating medalists will be robbed of their dream moment if Russia's Kamila Valieva makes the podium

• Russia's Kamila Valieva is embroiled in controversy after testing positive for a banned substance.
• The 15-year-old skater is still allowed to participate in the women's individual event in Beijing.

Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian Olympic Committee figure skater embroiled in controversy, is cleared to continue competing at the 2022 Beijing Olympics despite testing positive for a banned substance.

And now, it appears as though her competitors will also face punishment for Russia's actions.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced Monday that it had lifted the provisional suspension handed down to Valieva last week following news of her positive drug test. In December, the teen was found to have trimetazidine — a medicine usually used to treat angina attacks but is also known to improve endurance in athletes — in her system.

The court's ruling came as a shock to many, as it allows Valieva to proceed in the Olympic competition despite an apparent doping violation. The International Olympic Committee responded swiftly by barring the Russian from collecting any medals should she finish on the podium in the upcoming women's individual competition.

But, in doing so, the IOC wiped out the medal ceremony for the event altogether. The decision would rob the other two medalists of their special moment on the podium should Valieva finish among the top three, as is expected.

"Should Ms. Valieva finish amongst the top three competitors in the Women's Single Skating competition, no flower ceremony and no medal ceremony will take place during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022," the committee's statement reads.

Only "once the case of Ms. Valieva has been concluded" will the IOC "organise dignified medal ceremonies" for all.

Although the IOC did not explicitly state its reasoning, it seems likely that it took this step to avoid having to re-award medals should Valieva's doping ban be reinstated. In that case, whichever athlete finished fourth would be promoted to third and take the bronze medal.

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee released a statement slamming the decision that will enable Valieva to compete despite "the systemic and pervasive disregard for clean sport by Russia."

"We are disappointed by the message this decision sends," USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland said. "It is the collective responsibility of the entire Olympic community to protect the integrity of sport and to hold our athletes, coaches, and all involved to the highest of standards."

"Athletes have the right to know that they are competing on a level playing field," she continued. "Unfortunately, today that right is being denied."

And even though the USOPC did not go as far as demanding a medal ceremony for those who rightfully earned their spots on the podium, plenty of others — including journalists and Olympic medalists — spoke up on social media:

The women's single skating short program is scheduled for Tuesday evening Beijing time, or 5 a.m. EST. Fans can tune in to watch on NBC.