Eteri Tutberidze, the coach at the center of the doping controversy involving Kamila Valieva at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, is drawing renewed scrutiny after being set to attend the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics as a coach.
Tutberidze will work in Milan as the coach of Georgia’s men’s singles figure skating national team member Nika Egadze. Her presence at the Olympics has raised concerns because of her connection to the doping case.
Witold Banka, head of the World Anti-Doping Agency, said at a news conference on Feb. 5 in Milan, Italy, that he is “personally uncomfortable” with Tutberidze being at the Olympics.
However, Banka said Tutberidze’s participation “is not our decision,” adding that investigators found no evidence she was involved in doping and that there is no legal basis to exclude her from working during the Games.
Valieva, who trained under Tutberidze, sparked an uproar in Beijing after a urine test found the banned substance trimetazidine.
After the Russian Anti-Doping Agency delayed its investigation, WADA filed a case against RUSADA and Valieva with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in November 2022. CAS handed Valieva a four-year ban and said findings showed she was given 56 substances from ages 13 to 15.
The case also drew criticism because Russian team doctors suspected of administering drugs, along with Tutberidze, were not disciplined.
With Russian athletes limited from international competition because of sanctions tied to the invasion of Ukraine, Tutberidze has reached out to foreign skaters and is now Egadze’s full-time coach.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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