Russian figure skating coach Eteri Tutberidze has responded to International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach’s suggestion that she treated Kamila Valieva with “tremendous coldness” as the Winter Olympics star left the ice distraught following her final performance at the Beijing Games.
Bach, whose organization had announced that it would not hold a medal ceremony if Valieva achieved a podium position in the individual competition, said that he had been “disturbed” by what he perceived as “chilling” behavior from Valieva’s circle after the pre-Games favorite to win gold finished fourth with an uncharacteristically error-strewn display.
Hugely successful Tutberidze has faced fierce criticism over her part in a troubling Games for Valieva after the 15-year-old’s positive test for a heart drug that is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list, with the news announced a day after she helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) win gold in the team event.
The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) lifted a provisional suspension placed on Valieva over the test, which was taken at the Russian championships on December 25 and took more than six weeks to be returned from a laboratory accredited by WADA in Stockholm.
A Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing at the Games ruled that Valieva could compete in the individual competition, although the case is ongoing and WADA is obliged to investigate Tutberidze and other members of the European champion’s entourage under its rules over anti-doping cases involving minors.
Tutberidze is said to have asked Valieva to explain why she “let it go” as she left the ice after an underwhelming display by her exceptional standards, and was later seen putting an arm around her pupil as she sat in stunned silence while the results were read out.
The coach, who also guided Russian Alexandra Trusova to a silver medal and a historic moment as she became the first woman to land five quad jumps at the Olympics, issued one of her first public responses to the controversy when she replied to an Instagram post by legendary Russian ice dancer and coach Alexander Zhulin.
“I’m very grateful for the words of support,” she said after Zhulin wrote an open letter to Bach about his comments.
“At this moment, I find myself at a loss over the assessment of our work by the esteemed Mr. Bach.”
German lawyer Bach said he had watched the competition on television and been alarmed by the pressure and “immense mental stress” on Valieva.