Olympics-Figureskating-Valieva’s coach ‘supportive and useful’, Russian ice dancer says

By Chang-Ran Kim and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber

BEIJING (Reuters) – Russian ice dancer Gleb Smolkin stated on Monday the coach on the centre of a doping scandal on the Beijing Video games was “supportive and useful”, at instances giving him and his dancing accomplice – the coach’s daughter – recommendation on their skating.

Eteri Tutberidze, the extremely sought-after coach recognized for her harsh coaching strategies, is a part of the entourage prone to be investigated in connection together with her 15-year-old protege Kamila Valieva’s optimistic doping check, which got here to gentle final week.

Valieva’s competitors, because of begin on Tuesday, had been billed as a spotlight of the Video games earlier than the scandal blew up and threw her participation into doubt. A call is due inside hours.

Smolkin, additionally talking on behalf of his hearing-imparied dancing accomplice and the coach’s daughter, Diana Davis, known as Tutzeridze “top-of-the-line coaches in determine skating” whose recommendation they often sought by sending video clips.

Tutberidze shouldn’t be their official coach however was at rink-side when the pair warmed as much as compete within the ice dance finals on Monday.

“Diana feels extra calm when Eteri helps her as a result of to begin with she’s her mum,” Smolkin advised reporters after they carried out. “She’s very supportive, she’s very useful.”

Smolkin appeared weary as he fielded a barrage of questions concerning the impending choice in Valieva’s doping case and the temper of the Russian Olympic Committee group, stressing that he and Davis had been targeted on their competitors.

“We’re all concentrating on what now we have to do. We’re going to assist our ice dancers, our nationwide group. They’re top-of-the-line on this planet,” he stated.

“We don’t give it some thought … We want Kamila all the perfect and we’re going to be very supportive. It doesn’t matter what the choice goes to be,” he stated. “We’re bored with these questions.”

(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Modifying by Robert Birsel)