Thomas Bach was not present, Thursday February 17 at the very end of the day, at the Capital indoor stadium in Beijing for the free program of the women's figure skating event. The IOC President recognized this even before the question was asked: he followed the competition in front of his television. However, the ice rink was the place to be, four days before the end of the 2022 Winter Games.
Thomas Bach did not make the trip. But he attacked his press conference at the end of the Beijing Games this Friday morning at the Main Media Center, reflecting at length on the evening of the day before. The German leader preceded the journalists' questions by confiding his impressions as a viewer of the spectacle of Kamila Valieva's performance.
The Russian skater made multiple mistakes, fell twice, put her hand on the ice, then finished in tears, her face covered by her red gloves. Fifth in the free program, she failed in fourth place in the competition. The podium was set up on the ice and the medals awarded. A boon for the IOC.
By her own admission, Kamila Valieva’s performance “ trouble »Thomas Bach. “ I was very confused yesterday when I watched on television, acknowledged the IOC President during his introductory remarks, before facing questions. I attended a performance where we saw all the pressure on his shoulders. My athletic career has meant that I know what pressure is, but this was more than I could imagine. She would probably have preferred to leave the ice and leave all of this behind. »
Troubled, therefore, Thomas Bach. But also shocked. The IOC President said this Friday morning that he found the entourage of the young Russian skater a “ icy distance » with Kamila Valieva as she leaves the ice, after her free program. He swears he saw, in front of his television screen, “ gestures of refusal and rejection » from the two coaches, including the imposing Eteri Tutberidze.
« It was freezing, continued Thomas Bach. They didn't try to help and comfort her. Interpreting his coach's body language, it was dismissive. How can you be so cold towards your athlete? This doesn't give me much confidence in those around him, regardless of what may have happened, or will happen in the future."
Eteri Tutberidze, the coach of Kamila Valieva, but also of the two medal-winning Russian skaters, Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova, is considered a tough coach with her athletes, sometimes to the point of excess. The agency Reuters deciphered her reaction after the performance of the youngest skater in her trio on Thursday evening. “ Why did you let him go? Explain me why ? Why did you stop fighting completely? Somewhere after the axel, you gave up“, she would have said to Kamila Valieva when she left the ice, before knowing her score and her ranking.
For Thomas Bach, there is no doubt that the young skater, only 15 years old, is the victim of the affair. “ The problem is the surroundings, he insisted at a press conference. The culprits are those who administered this banned medicine to him. But our means are limited to investigate. We are not the police. I hope athletes will break the silence and ask for help. We have provided them with telephone numbers and support. I hope they use it and talk"
Thomas Bach identified the culprits. But the IOC president was not at the ice rink on Thursday evening to confront the young Russian's entourage. He was in front of his television.
