WAG Valieva vs Raducan

[Deleted member 18037]

From what the figure skating fam community is saying, it is well known that there are some extremely problematic coaching behaviours going on, even without doping.

I read yesterday that the federation is raising the minimum age for international senior competition to 17. Which is good, as current practice seems to very much be break a lot of girls to create the occasional phenom - whose career will burn bright for a year or so until constant dieting and injury catch up with her.

This sport needs some serious revamping due to coaching as well.

 

[Dahlia]

This sport needs some serious revamping due to coaching as well.

This really seems to be a lack of protections in the structure of the Russian program. Not saying the US program is perfect (or anywhere else). But Tutberidze already has a reputation as being a brutal coach (12 hour training days, pitting athletes against each other, etc.). Also the team doctor, Filipp Shvetsky, was banned by the ROC in 2007 due to doping allegations (he was working with the rowing program at the time). He was reinstated in 2010. IMO, reinstating and putting him in charge of minor figure skaters should not have happened and is a huge red flag about their program.

 

[alattejavatoo]

I think people “won’t be as kind” to Valieva’s situation because of the Russian history of doping and the exact reason she is competing for the “ROC” is because of what she was caught doing, whether as a minor she even had any control. Former German skater Katerina Witt is calling for Valieva’s handlers /coach/whoever gave her this med to be permanently banned… and i agree with that.

If you haven’t seen the documentary Icarus, about the Russian doping scandal, I encourage you to see it as the things they did were mind boggling.

I am so gutted for Kamila-she was let down by so many adults at best and blatantly thrown under the bus at worse case scenario.

I was talking with a friend of mine who was on the US Diving team and we both said that we wouldn’t be surprised if the real reason the Court of Arbitration and Sport allowed her to compete knowing that a 15 year old child would not be able to handle that much pressure as a middle finger to Russia (your athletes cheat. and they still don’t win-pathetic.”). Her sample was dirty, that should prohibit her from competing in and of itself. Plus, on what planet is putting a child under that much pressure not detrimental? That is more detrimental to her than not allowing her to compete.

Fortunately, most of the people are slamming the adults around her and not her. Between Valieva, Sherbakova being ignored after winning and Trusova’s outburst, it did not paint a pretty picture for the Russian ladies-especially Estero. This, plus her pulling strings to get her daughter on the Olympic team does not paint a pretty picture of her nor Russian figure skating. The other coaches smell blood.