Honored Coach of Russia Eteri Tutberidze in an interview with a Japanese TV channel NHK He stated that his headquarters made no sense in giving drugs to figure skater Kamila Valieva at the Russian Championships, because the athlete could win without this.
“I have a lot of questions: What is this, where did it come from? Nobody even wanted to think logically. OK, initially it was clean everywhere – both before and after. Why should he receive a doping suspension at the Russian Championships? He won all season, everything was clean, but that means we give it to him…” said Tutberidze.
On January 29, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found Valieva guilty of doping and disqualified the athlete. He will not be able to compete in tournaments until December 2025. He also can’t practice at state skating rinks.
On February 7, CAS issued a rationale for Valieva’s case. In addition to the banned trimetazidine, three permitted substances were found in the skater’s blood. These are ecdysterone, hypoxene and L-carnitine. According to the CAS document, the Russian woman took approximately 60 medications and supplements between 2020-2021.
After the disqualification, the International Skating Union (ISU) awarded the Russians third place in the team tournament of the 2022 Olympic Games, without depriving Russia as a whole of the medal. USA won the gold medal.
Previously Tutberidze said About Valieva’s problems.