Eteri Tutberidze, the coach who stood at the center of the controversy surrounding Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva during the Beijing Games, has reappeared on the Olympic stage, and her presence has reignited tensions at the highest levels of anti-doping enforcement. AdvertisementSpeaking Thursday at a news conference in Milan, Bańka stressed that Tutberidze’s presence was not a decision made by WADA. “The investigation found no evidence that this person engaged in this doping, so there is no legal basis to exclude her,” Bańka said. Meanwhile, WADA officials have continued to draw a hard moral line when it comes to doping cases involving minors. Fitzgerald explained that WADA reviewed the role of Valieva’s support team, noting that geopolitical restrictions prevented their investigators from traveling to Russia at that time, leading the agency to supervise an investigation conducted by RUSADA (Russian Anti-Doping Agency).

Source: International New York Times February 06, 2026 12:06 UTC