Within the wake of revelations that Russian 15-year outdated famous person determine skater Kamila Valieva examined optimistic for a banned substance, there’s a thought that has been making me uneasy ever since I discovered the information. That’s, the imbalance that exists between Valieva and her coach Eteri Tutberidze. The actual imbalance I’m desirous about goes past the one which exists between a coach-athlete or an adult-child. However reasonably, the abdomen churning thought that Valieva goes to face the brunt of the implications whereas Tutberidze will face little if any of them in any respect.
Let’s take a look at this from Russia’s perspective:
Russia is a rustic the place its authorities has emphasised a “Russia in opposition to the skin world” narrative in its state-controlled media. The Russian response to its near-decade lengthy doping scandal has been tales of how Western-aligned establishments are out to get Russia. That lots of the athletes caught up in doping scandals are the victims of a terrific injustice.
On the home entrance, I significantly doubt that Russia’s governing our bodies are going to sanction Tutberidze in a major manner. Meaning handicapping a confirmed winner. Meaning highlighting institutional corruption in a rustic the place its authorities is making an attempt to downplay any notion of rampant corruption. Most importantly, it means taking the outcomes of an anti-doping establishment and acknowledging them as authentic. Within the course of, utterly contradicting a lot of the earlier rhetoric the place Russia has declare issues of a rampant doping downside are unwarranted and introduced upon by these with an anti-Russian agenda.
Let’s take a look at this from a authorized perspective:
It’s with out query that someplace alongside the best way an grownup failed Kamila Valieva. We all know this, we all know an grownup failed her, however we don’t know which grownup it was. Tutberidze is the plain alternative for the person most liable for Valieva’s failed take a look at, however that viewpoint is predicated on conjecture and assumption. However for enforcers, it isn’t what you realize, it’s what you’ll be able to show.
Tutberidze might argue somebody outdoors her inner-circle coerced Valieva into taking a banned substance. Hypothetically arising with a narrative the place Valieva went house on vacation and the banned substance was launched whereas she was away from Sambo-70. As unlikely as this situation could seem, it’s on the crux of this case. Any “responsible by affiliation” penalty levied in opposition to Tutberidze creates a situation the place a coach will probably be penalized even when she insisted her child-athlete not ingest a banned substance, and the child-athlete did it in any case with out her data is now theoretically doable.
This specific component of the case could change into an impediment if any governing physique tries to carry Tutberidze straight accountable. Till different Sambo-70 skaters begin failing doping controls or proof is introduced demonstrating Tutberidze tried to strain her athletes into ingesting banned substances, it’s a murky path blaming this straight on Tutberidze. There may be additionally the potential of Russia inserting all of the blame on a crew physician and presenting Tutberidze because the coach who was too medically ignorant to know what was occurring.
Let’s take a look at this from Eteri Tutberidze’s perspective.
She is a confirmed winner and even when excessive sanctions are positioned on her teaching profession, she is going to nonetheless have viable choices despite any potential restrictions. Her earlier monitor file will encourage lots of, if not 1000’s of fogeys to have their kids take classes from Tutberidze, even when she will’t formally take them to competitions.
Tutberidze is a Russian coach, however has spent important time teaching in america and even has an American-born daughter. Giving Tutberidze the earlier expertise to educate outdoors of Russia if it involves that. The alarming variety of dad and mom who continued to deliver their daughters to Maggie Haney after she was severely sanctioned will look trivial in comparison with Tutberidze who has been essentially the most profitable coach of the previous decade in her respective sport.
There are few situations the place this finally ends up being nothing greater than a pace bump in Eteri Tutberidze’s profession. Whether or not its producing a brand new lineup of dominant skaters on the 2026 Olympics, or teaching privately whereas amassing giant teaching charges from dad and mom who need their daughter coached by an Olympic-level coach, Tutberidze’s profession will proceed.
The rationale why problematic coaches are so prevalent within the Olympic sports activities is as a result of they get pleasure from authorized protections that make it tough to completely punish them and may at all times bounce again. That’s not the case for Kamila Valieva who competes in a sport the place the careers are so brief and skates for a program that’s prone to change her with a youthful athlete by 2026. Athletes come and go, however the identical coaches at all times stay.
However athletes at all times take heart stage whereas coaches usually function within the shadows.
It isn’t the identify “Eteri Tutberidze” that’s dominating worldwide headlines, however “Kamila Valieva.” The as soon as flawless 15-year outdated now has a tarnished repute the place her standing as a gifted athlete is being known as into query. Her as soon as pioneering performances are actually being questioned if doping was the one purpose they have been doable. That’s if persons are being beneficiant and never straight accusing her of somebody who selected to cheat to win. Even Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova are prone to get caught within the crossfire as informal followers will consistently ask “is that the one who doped” for the remainder of their careers.
For Kamila Valieva, one of the best case situation is she will get by way of the Olympics together with her repute in shatters. Having a profession like Chinese language gymnast He Kexin the place although she was some of the gifted and beloved athletes inside her respective sport, outdoors of her sport she is primarily identified for a scandal. The “age controversy” part of He Kexin’s Wikipedia web page is longer than the part recapping her athletic profession which incorporates medals in two completely different Olympics and a number of Olympic golds. And the identical is true for He Kexin’s profile web page within the OlyMadMen database, the most important database overlaying Olympic sports activities historical past.
The opinions of gymnastics and determine skating followers are the minority as each Olympics brings in tens of millions of informal observers that dwarf the hardcore followings of every Olympic sport. Making it tough for an athlete like He Kexin and Kamila Valieva to ever undo all of the adverse consideration that was thrown their manner.
Tutberidze’s identify isn’t being dragged round as a lot, even when the adverse consideration she has acquired thus far is the best tribulation of her profession. However Tutberidze might simply return to glory if she will get one other skater to the Olympics. Perhaps 2026, 2032, or maybe a decade after. As is the case in sports activities, athletes have brief careers, however coaches final for many years. One of many nice flaws in sports activities is that future success will at all times stifle criticism of previous transgressions.
Kamila Valieva’s worst case situation is that she could very nicely full a profession with out ever having received an Olympic medal regardless of her simple expertise as an all-time nice. Nearly everybody agrees {that a} 15-year outdated is simply too younger to be blamed for a doping scandal and what this quantities to is youngster abuse. The one saving grace for Valieva is that Russia will at all times help her and deal with Kamila as their heroine.
Kamila Valieva is the one struggling the brunt of the implications, the one the place it’s much more prone to have this incident be what ruins her athletic profession. However like so many coaches who shouldn’t, Eteri Tutberidze is prone to bounce again.
