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The Russian figure skating coach at the heart of the doping scandal that engulfed then-15-year-old Kamila Valieva at the 2022 Winter Games is returning to Milan Cortina.
Eteri Tutberidze, who coached Valieva when it was revealed in Beijing that she had tested positive for the banned drug trimetazidine, returned to the Olympic stage this week for Georgia as European champion Nika Egadze’s coach.
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva competes at the Russian Skiing Championships in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Tutberidze, despite global outcry, because Valieva was a minor at the time, was not formally sanctioned or disciplined for the incident. Still, the president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Witold Banka, expressed his disappointment that she would be involved in this year’s Games.
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“It’s not our decision, the coach is here,” Banka said Thursday. “The investigation found no evidence that this particular person was involved in this doping process, so there is no legal basis to exclude her from the presence during the Olympic Games.”
“But of course, if you ask me personally about my feelings,” he continued, “I certainly don’t feel comfortable with her presence here in the Olympic Games.”
Valieva, 19, submitted a test in December 2021 during the Russian national championships, which came back positive the following February. The scandal erupted after Valieva helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) win gold in the team event after she became the first woman in competition to land a quadruple jump.
Team ROC’s Kamila Valieva reacts as she waits for her score with choreographer Daniil Gleikhengauz (right) and coach Eteri Tutberidze (left) after the women’s singles skating on day 13 of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, on February 20, 227. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
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She was able to continue the competition when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) weighed in. Valieva received a four-year ban, which expired last December. She was unable to qualify for Milan Cortina because she could not compete in qualifying events during her ban.
Russian skater Adeliia Petrosian is competing for the ROC this year instead and is a gold medal contender in the women’s individual category. She has also been trained by Tutberidze for years.
Tutberidze’s daughter, Diana Davis, is also competing in the Winter Olympics for Georgia in the ice dance category.
Eteri Tutberidze in training for the ISU European Figure Skating Championships at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield on Tuesday 13 January 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
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The figure skating competitions begin on Friday.
