Kamila Valieva of Russia reacts after competing in women’s figure skating during the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
ANTONIN THUILLIER / AFP via Getty Images
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ANTONIN THUILLIER / AFP via Getty Images
Kamila Valieva of Russia reacts after competing in women’s figure skating during the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
ANTONIN THUILLIER / AFP via Getty Images
BEIJING – The chill that Thomas Bach witnessed from figure skater Kamila Valieva’s coach after her performance on Thursday “annoyed” the president of the International Olympic Committee.
Bach has repeatedly voiced his concern for Valieva, her teammates and other minor athletes competing at the Olympic level. However, the IOC leadership has resisted implementing any changes in the immediate term.
Now, the IOC has asked the World Anti-Doping Agency to investigate Valieva’s coach and other team officials around her.
Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, speaks to the media during the closing press conference of the Olympics on February 18, 2022 in Beijing, China
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15-year-old Valieva competed in the women’s figure skating competition following revelations that she tested positive for a banned substance before the Olympics. The pressure of the days following that news clearly affected the young girl. She tripped and fell many times during her work. Then she looked dejected and threw her hands in the air. As she slipped off the ice, she burst into tears.
“You can see this cold atmosphere, this distance” from Valieva’s coaches as she hit the ice, Bach said. “I’m very concerned.”
He posed the idea of whether young athletes, like Valieva, should be under such great pressure to compete at the highest level of sport.
In that regard, Bach once again kicked the ball down the field.
The IOC has no authority to impose age restrictions in Olympic competitions. That lies with the individual international sports federations.
“We’re going to start such a discussion to give them some food for thought in this,” Bach said.
Bach also avoided answering a question about whether Valieva’s coach, Eteri Tutberidze, has a place at the Olympics. Instead, he said the WADA investigation would look into Valieva’s entourage.
WADA is also investigating other cases of Valieva’s positive drug test results.
But Bach hinted that the positive drug test result could have been a result of her coach’s involvement.
“Doping is very rarely done alone with athletes,” he said.
Tutberidze has the most direct meaning to Valieva’s career. There were no public accusations or evidence that Tutberidze had anything to do with Valieva’s positive drug test.
Report said Valieva and her four-legged teammates Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova – who won gold and silver medals on Thursday – are part of the big group youth champions coming out of their camp. Tutberidze. Coaches develop youth champions who essentially peak in their teens and then retire, often through injury and after going through problematic workouts involving dietary restrictions and exercise too hard.
