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The Russian figure skating coach, at the heart of the doping scandal that engulfed 15-year-old Kamila Valieva at the 2022 Winter Games, is making his return to Milan Cortina.
Eteri Tutberidze, who was coaching Valieva when it was revealed in Beijing that she had tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, returned to the Olympic stage this week for Georgia as coach of European champion Nika Egadze.
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva competes at the Russian Show Jumping Championships in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, January 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bedniakov)
Tutberidze, despite the public outcry caused by the fact that Valieva was a minor at the time, was not officially sanctioned or punished for this incident. The president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Witold Banka, nevertheless expressed his disappointment with his participation in this year’s Games.
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“It’s not our decision if the coach is there,” Banka said on Thursday. “The investigation found no evidence that this particular person was involved in this doping process, so there is no legal basis to exclude him from his presence during the Olympic Games.”
“But of course, if you ask me personally what my feelings are,” he continued, “I don’t feel comfortable with him being here at the Olympics, that’s for sure.”
Valieva, 19, submitted a sample in December 2021 during the Russian national championships, which tested positive the following February. The scandal erupted after Valieva helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) win gold in the team event after becoming the first woman competing to land a quadruple jump.
Kamila Valieva of Team ROC reacts while waiting for her score with choreographer Daniil Gleikhengauz (right) and coach Eteri Tutberidze (left) after the women’s free skating on the 13th day of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, February 17, 2022. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
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She was able to continue the competition thanks to the intervention of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Valieva was given a four-year ban, which expired last December. She was unable to qualify for Milan Cortina as she could not compete in the qualifying events during her ban.
Russian skater Adeliia Petrosian is instead competing for the ROC this year and is a gold medal contender in the women’s individual category. She too has been trained by Tutberidze for years.
Tutberidze’s daughter, Diana Davis, is also competing in the Winter Olympics for Georgia in the ice dancing category.
Eteri Tutberidze during training for the ISU European Figure Skating Championships at the Utilita Arena, Sheffield, Tuesday January 13, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
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Figure skating competitions begin Friday.
