Witold Banka, the president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, has voiced strong criticism of the accreditation of Russian figure skating coach Eteri Tutberidze at the Milan Olympics. Tutberidze, who is accredited by the National Olympic Committee of Georgia, has trained numerous Russian figure skaters to success in the past, including Kamila Valiyeva, using sometimes brutal methods. She traveled to the games in Beijing four years ago as the best figure skater in the world.
When a positive doping test from Valiyeva, then 15 years old, became known, the case developed into a scandal. Valiyeva, who explained the positive sample by saying she had drunk from her grandfather’s glass, was banned, but Tutberidze was not. At WADA’s press conference in Milan on Thursday, Banka said: “It is not our decision for her coach to be here. There is no legal basis for exclusion. Personally, I feel uncomfortable at the thought of her presence.”
“If that’s true, it’s worrying.”
At the same time, Banka was “surprised” by the figures from a survey carried out by the public broadcasters in Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway among athletes in their countries’ national squads. Almost fifty percent of them were not tested for doping outside of competitions. “If that’s true, it’s very concerning,” Banka said.
The figures published by the International Testing Agency, which is responsible for the anti-doping program in Milan, do not inspire confidence either. 65 percent of French, 70 percent of Swedish, 33 percent of Norwegian and twenty percent of Italian athletes were not tested according to the recommendations (Germany: four percent). “We set the rules, they have to be implemented,” said Banka. “I am not happy with many NADOs (National Anti-Doping Organizations; editor).”
