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ZHANGJIAKOU, China — American figure skaters won’t receive their team event medals until after the Beijing Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled early Sunday that it rejected the request of the nine athletes who finished second in the team event, behind Kamila Valieva and her teammates from the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).

Valieva led the Russian team to victory in this mixed event last week. Soon after, a positive doping test for the 15-year-old skater was revealed.

The CAS allowed her to compete in the women’s event, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it would not hold medal ceremonies in the events where she finished in the top three.

Lawyers for the American skaters whose silver medals are withheld had filed an appeal so that the athletes could receive them before the end of the Beijing Games.

Now that their request has been denied, the American athletes could have to wait months, or even years, before receiving their medals, depending on the progress of the case involving Valieva.

If the Russian skater were disqualified, the Americans would get gold, Japan would get silver and Canada, who finished fourth, would take the podium.

The Americans pleaded that they should at least receive their silver medal before the closing ceremony of the Games, which will take place on Sunday evening.

In a letter sent Saturday to IOC President Thomas Bach, whoseAssociated Press obtained a copy, the athletes’ lawyers cited “the IOC’s own rules, which state that an athlete medal ceremony must follow the end of each sporting event”.

“We are disappointed with this decision. It is a pity to see that these athletes will have to leave Beijing without the medal they deserve,” said the director of the national figure skating federation of the United States, Ramsey Baker.

Once Valieva’s positive doping test result was made public, the ROC imposed a temporary suspension on the skater, before lifting the sanction. The IOC and the World Anti-Doping Agency were shocked by the ROC’s about-face and asked the CAS to rule on the young athlete’s situation.

The CAS finally accepted that Valieva participates in the women’s individual section, but the official results of the team event will have to wait for the outcome of this whole saga.