Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, reacts after the women's free skate programme. Photo / AP
Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, reacts after the women's free skate programme. Photo / AP
IOC president Thomas Bach said it was "chilling" to see how Kamila Valieva's coach treated the Russian teenager after a doping scandal engulfing the skater culminated in an error-strewn performance at the Beijing Olympics.
Bach criticised Valieva's entourage for their "tremendous coldness" toward the 15-year-old skater after her mistake-filled freeskate at the Beijing Olympics.
He said it was "chilling" to see on television.
Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, reacts after competing in the women's free skate programme. Photo / AP
Valieva, who has been at the centre of a controversy over a positive doping test, finished fourth overall despite placing first in the women's short programme earlier in the week.
The IOC president did not name Valieva's coach, Eteri Tutberidze, who was seen on camera telling a visibly upset Valieva "Why did you let it go? Why did you stop fighting?"
Bach says "you could feel this chilling atmosphere, this distance."
Tutberidze and other members of Valieva's entourage will be investigated over the teenager's positive test for a heart medication ahead of the Olympics.
Bach says the pressure on Valieva was "beyond my imagination."
Bach told a news briefing that seeing Valieva's Russian teammate Alexandra Trusova also highly agitated after her silver medal-winning routine confirmed his concerns about the people around the teenage skaters.
Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, falls in the women's free skate programme. Photo / AP
"I was pondering about whether you can be really so cold but when I saw and read today how Alexandra Trusova was being treated, I am afraid that this impression I had last night was not the wrong one," said Bach.
"All of this does not give me much confidence in this close entourage of Kamila."
Valieva falls in the women's free skate programme. Photo / AP
The doping affair has also focused attention once more on Russian athletes at Olympic Games and the IOC's decision to allow Russians deemed clean of doping to participate.
They are taking part in Beijing under the banner of the Russian Olympic Committee because Russia as a country is serving a two-year ban as punishment for a state-sponsored doping programme.
