The world of Olympic figure skating may soon find itself in hot water again.
Among the contenders in Tuesday’s women’s short program is 18-year-old Russian Adelia Petrosyan. Her connection to a controversial coach raises the question of whether the sport might once again face intense scrutiny.
The Russian Olympic Committee lost its gold medal from the 2022 Beijing Olympics after 15-year-old Kamila Valieva was suspended for four years due to a failed drug test. Eteri Tutberidze, who has coached both Valieva and now Petrosyan, has been a prominent figure in their training, working out of the same Moscow facility.
Petrosyan is set to compete as a “neutral player,” meaning she won’t officially represent Russia. Interestingly, while Tutberidze won’t be in Milan in an official coaching capacity, he is registered as a coach for a male skater from Georgia.
Nonetheless, Tutberidze was seen attending Petrosyan’s practice session, leading some to feel he looked very much like her coach. WADA did not find him culpable following Valieva’s positive test, and there are no records indicating Petrosyan has ever failed a drug test.
WADA president Witold Banka noted, “It’s not our decision… the investigation found no evidence linking him to any doping process. So legally, he cannot be excluded from the Olympics.”
That said, amid all these discussions, someone expressed their personal view: “I’m not thrilled about her competing in the Olympics.”
Yet, it’s possible that the potential uproar may fade away with time.
2026 Winter Olympics
Petrosyan, relatively new to the international stage, qualified for these Olympics during her debut in Beijing last September. This marks her second senior-level appearance since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the incident that instigated the ban on Russian participation in international events.
Given her skill set, particularly in executing quadruple jumps and her status as a three-time Russian Women’s National Championship winner, it wouldn’t be shocking if Petrosyan finds herself on the podium.
Even so, there’s informal support backing her from a coach who has trained the last three female gold medalists.
As former bronze medalist and analyst Adam Rippon remarked, “None of us can predict what will happen with her, and she’s likely in the dark too. But it’s somewhat disheartening to think about the implications for the sport if she were to win a medal.”
