Within the wake of revelations that Russian 15-year previous 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 fascinated with goes past the one which exists between a coach-athlete or an adult-child. However relatively, 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 most of the athletes caught up in doping scandals are the victims of an ideal injustice.
On the home entrance, I significantly doubt that Russia’s governing our bodies are going to sanction Tutberidze in a major means. Which means handicapping a confirmed winner. Which means 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 official. Within the course of, utterly contradicting a lot of the earlier rhetoric the place Russia has declare considerations 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 way in which 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 apparent selection for the person most chargeable for Valieva’s failed check, however that viewpoint relies on conjecture and assumption. However for enforcers, it isn’t what you already know, it’s what you possibly can show.
Tutberidze might argue somebody outdoors her inner-circle coerced Valieva into taking a banned substance. Hypothetically developing 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 shall be penalized even when she insisted her child-athlete not ingest a banned substance, and the child-athlete did it anyhow with out her data is now theoretically potential.
This explicit ingredient 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’s additionally the potential for Russia inserting all of the blame on a crew physician and presenting Tutberidze because the coach who was too medically ignorant to grasp 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 document will encourage lots of, if not 1000’s of oldsters to have their kids take classes from Tutberidze, even when she will be able to’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 teach outdoors of Russia if it involves that. The alarming variety of mother and father who continued to convey their daughters to Maggie Haney after she was severely sanctioned will look trivial in comparison with Tutberidze who has been probably 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 massive teaching charges from mother and father 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 take pleasure in authorized protections that make it troublesome to completely punish them and might all the time 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 more likely to change her with a youthful athlete by 2026. Athletes come and go, however the identical coaches all the time stay.
However athletes all the time take middle stage whereas coaches typically function within the shadows.
It’s not the identify “Eteri Tutberidze” that’s dominating worldwide headlines, however “Kamila Valieva.” The as soon as flawless 15-year previous 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 motive they have been potential. 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 more likely to get caught within the crossfire as informal followers will always ask “is that the one who doped” for the remainder of their careers.
For Kamila Valieva, the perfect case situation is she will get by means of the Olympics along with her repute in shatters. Having a profession like Chinese language gymnast He Kexin the place though she was probably the most gifted and beloved athletes inside her respective sport, outdoors of her sport she is primarily recognized 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 totally 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 troublesome for an athlete like He Kexin and Kamila Valieva to ever undo all of the damaging consideration that was thrown their means.
Tutberidze’s identify isn’t being dragged round as a lot, even when the damaging 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 all the time 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 previous is just too younger to be blamed for a doping scandal and what this quantities to is baby abuse. The one saving grace for Valieva is that Russia will all the time 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 way more more likely to have this incident be what ruins her athletic profession. However like so many coaches who shouldn’t, Eteri Tutberidze is more likely to bounce again.
