The US figure skating team were offered torches as a placeholder instead of silver medals as they wait to find out if Kamila Valieva will be disqualified

• Team USA finished second in the Beijing Winter Olympics' team figure skating competition.
• But the team can't collect their silver medals until Kamila Valieva's doping case is resolved.

The United States' Olympic figure skating team has been offered torches as holdover gifts while they await the resolution of the Russian doping case that is preventing them from receiving their silver medals, reports the Associated Press.

The medal ceremony for last week's team figure skating competition, which was won by the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), was postponed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) amid doping allegations against teenage skater Kamila Valieva.

After it was confirmed on Friday that Valieva, 15, had tested positive for a banned substance in December, the IOC confirmed that that no medal ceremonies would be held for any events in which the teenager places in the top three until her case was resolved.

According to the Associated Press, in a private meeting in Beijing on Wednesday, IOC president Thomas Bach offered the US skaters torches as temporary prizes while they wait on their medals.

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee released a statement, per the Associated Press, confirming the meeting between Bach and the skaters had taken place, but did not reveal the details of meeting, saying that the "content of that discussion should remain between them."

It is unclear whether the US figure skating team accepted Bach's offer.

Valieva produced a stunning performance in the team event final, landing a historic quadruple jump – a trick never before landed at the Olympics – as the ROC won gold.

The team's victory was thrown into doubt just four days later, however, when it was revealed by the International Testing Agency (ITA) that Valieva had tested positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine while competing at the Russian national championships in Saint Petersburg last year.

She was immediately banned by Russia's anti-doping agency (RUSADA), however the decision was overturned following an appeal.

The IOC exercised its right to challenge the overturned ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but the court upheld the decision to reverse Valieva's ban, paving the way for her to continue to compete in Beijing.

She is now on course to win another Olympic event as she currently leads the women's singles figure skating competition going into the final part of the event on Thursday.

Should she finish in the top three, there will be no medal ceremony, which the US figure-skating legend Kristi Yamaguchi described as "heartbreaking."

"It's just heartbreaking to see so many Olympic moments for other athletes being taken away," Yamaguchi said.