Tara Lipinski – Syndication Server

Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir rightfully blame ‘the adults around’ Kamila Valieva after free skate disaster

They once again hit it on the head.

The Kamila Valieva controversy at the Beijing Olympics came to an awful, devastating end on Thursday, with the Russian figure finishing fourth in the women’s figure skating event after a disastrous free skate.

As I wrote after the competition, the 15-year-old deserves sympathy, not scorn, given how the adults in the room — from the Court of Arbitration for Sport to the IOC to the Russian delegation — completely mishandled the fallout from the positive drug test that should have taken her out of the event.

And that’s exactly how NBC’s Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir covered Valieva. Days after summing up her short program with honest commentary, they were both sympathetic to Valieva and blamed the adults around her.

Watch below, along with some reaction from around Twitter:

Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir perfectly sum up Kamila Valieva controversy with honest commentary

They nailed it.

How do you weigh in on Kamila Valieva, the Russian figure skater who is still allowed to compete in the women’s individual events despite a positive drug test?

The answer for NBC’s Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir — former Olympians themselves — it’s with honesty, especially with the entire figure skating world up in arms about the decision that allowed Valieva to skate for ROC, which also includes the fact that if she wins a gold, silver or bronze, there will be no medal ceremony.

“We are so sorry it’s overshadowing your Olympics,” Weir said on the air to other skaters.

“I don’t know how many times over the past year, I’ve said that she’s the best figure skater I’ve ever seen,” Lipinski added, “and just saying that now not only makes me confused but it makes me angry and disoriented by everything I thought that I knew.”

Here’s the moment and reaction:

Q&A: Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir talk figure skating, fashion and the 17 suitcases they have for Beijing Olympics

“If we match the skaters and we’re bringing out the sparkle, then we’re doing our job.”

It’s less than four days out from the Opening Ceremony, the official start to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, when Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir sit down to have a virtual chat with For The Win. It’s what they described as the first day of their Olympics, sitting on a gray couch at NBC headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, where they’ll cover the Games instead of in person rinkside.

Of course, they look fabulous, as they sidle up next to each other. Weir apologizes for slouching: “My hair won’t fit in the frame if I sit up straight.”

They’re prepping to cover their fifth Olympics together — third as figure skating analysts at the Winter Games — along with Terry Gannon as lead play-by-play commentator for Olympic figure skating.

Lipinski and Weir as a duo have become broadcasting staples when it comes to figure skating with an ability to simplify the sport for the less familiar. Figure skating is what they do, with Lipinski as the 1998 singles Olympic gold medalist at the Nagano Winter Games and Weir being a three-time U.S. champion and two-time Olympian (2006, 2010).

The pair are also fashion icons who have become famous for their dazzling on-air looks, complemented by sparkles and flair. But looking fabulous every day takes work, time and coordination, and they shared backstage details about how it all happens — including adjoining rooms and packing 17 total suitcases.

[mm-video type=video id=01fv03s3rbrrgn41fznb playlist_id=none player_id=01evcfkb10bw5a3nky image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fv03s3rbrrgn41fznb/01fv03s3rbrrgn41fznb-5fd7d98aa524987450dc1f24eb9ff763.jpg]

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Tara Lipinski on how Olympic gold-medal contender Nathan Chen revolutionized men’s figure skating

For The Win sat down with Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski to preview figure skating at the Beijing Olympics.

Figure skating is one of the most popular Winter Olympic sports, and for good reason. What these athletes do, individually or in pairs, on the ice is nothing short of stunning and truly awesome — probably because most people can’t imagine hurling themselves through the air while doing any number of rotations before landing perfectly on a super thin blade.

Following the U.S. Figure Skating Championships this month, the American figure skating team for the 2022 Beijing Olympics was finalized. Individually, Nathan Chen, Vincent Zhou and Jason Brown will represent Team USA in the men’s competition, while Mariah Bell, Karen Chen and Alysa Liu will do the same in the women’s competition.

So ahead of the 2022 Beijing Olympics in February, For The Win sat down with Tara Lipinski — the 1998 figure skating Olympic gold medalist who’s now an NBC Sports commentator — to talk figure skating and break down the top storylines fans should look out for.

[mm-video type=video id=01fsmwgg4ne8fafcsng3 playlist_id=none player_id=01evcfkb10bw5a3nky image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fsmwgg4ne8fafcsng3/01fsmwgg4ne8fafcsng3-bdbe17b3e8a4f90021e6ca5604b1cc7e.jpg]

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Q&A: Tara Lipinski on Olympics docuseries about the 2002 figure skating scandal that changed the sport

“Because of that scandal, everything has been changed,” Tara Lipinski told For The Win.

Back in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, the figure skating world was shaken up after allegations surfaced that judging in the pairs figure skating competition had been fixed.

Fans knew the competition would likely come down to Canada’s Jamie Salé and David Pelletier or Russia’s Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze. But after their respective performances were complete and Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze were awarded the gold medal, questions about the judging began to arise after many believed the Canadian pair deserved to be Olympic champions.

Meddling, a four-part docuseries from Peacock, provides an in-depth look at the scandal, the four athletes involved and the judge, Marie-Reine Le Gougne, in the middle of it. Ultimately, Salé and Pelletier were also awarded gold medals, and the judge was suspended.

Executive producer and 1998 Olympic figure skating gold medalist Tara Lipinski teamed up with her husband, Todd Kapostasy, who’s also an executive producer and the docuseries’ director, to provide a deep look into the scandal.

For The Win recently spoke with Lipinski about why she wanted to tell this story and how its impact on the figure skating world is still felt.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.