MILAN (AP) — Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva's coach from the Beijing Games is back at the Winter Olympics, and World Anti-Doping Agency president Witold Banka isn’t happy about it.
Banka said Thursday he's not comfortable with Eteri Tutberidze’s presence at the Milan Cortina Olympics. She is accredited with Georgia as the coach of European champion Nika Egadze.
In 2022, Tutberidze was coaching Valieva, the young Russian whose positive doping test overshadowed the Games.
Valieva, then aged 15, was at the center of a legal battle in Beijing when a sample she gave two months earlier tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine. The revelation came after Valieva won team gold with other Russian skaters. She was later disqualified from that event, which upgraded the United States to gold. Valieva was a contender for the women’s gold medal but placed fourth and was criticized rink-side by Tutberidze.
Tutberidze's scolding of Valieva drew public rebukes.
“It’s not our decision the coach is here,” Banka said Thursday at a news conference in Milan. “The investigation found no evidence that this particular person was engaged in this doping process, so there’s no legal basis to exclude her from the presence during the Olympic Games.”
“But of course, if you ask me personally about my feelings,” he continued, “I don’t feel comfortable with her presence here in the Olympic Games, for sure.”
The Georgian Figure Skating Federation did not respond to a request for comment.
Valieva's ban expired in December, despite legal efforts to have it overturned. She returned to competition last month but is not competing in Milan where another Russian skater, Adeliia Petrosian, is a contender for the women’s gold medal as an Individual Neutral Athlete who has been coached by Tutberidze for years.
Tutberidze’s daughter, Diana Davis, will compete in Milan for Georgia in ice dance with her partner, Gleb Smolkin.
Rules have been changed to raise the minimum age for skaters to 17 in time for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
A worker cleans the seats during a figure skating practice session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva competes at the Russian Jumping Championships in Moscow, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
FILE - Eteri Tutberidze, coach of Georgia's Nika Egadze, waits for his performance in men's free skating during the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis, File)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said Friday he's remaining with the Wildcats after being mentioned as a potential candidate to fill the coaching vacancy at blueblood program North Carolina.
“I'm happy to announce I'm staying at Arizona,” Lloyd said during his pre-practice news conference at the Final Four. “We've been able to get some things done the past couple days.”
The school also announced it had reached an extension with Lloyd through the 2030-31 season, though it didn't release financial terms. Lloyd had previously been under contract through the 2029-30 season worth an average of nearly $5.5 million in base and supplemental pay for the coming seasons, along with a buyout that dropped from $11 million to $9 million on Wednesday.
Lloyd, 51, had been considered a top potential target for the Tar Heels, who fired Hubert Davis on March 24 after five seasons. He had deflected questions about the UNC opening as the Wildcats (36-2) kept advancing in the NCAA Tournament to their first Final Four since 2001, including as recently as Thursday in Indianapolis.
Lloyd praised UNC as “a first-class organization” and said he appreciated “the way they've handled this.”
“Arizona basketball, you guys know what it means to me, and when I say it’s a special place, that always comes from the bottom of my heart,” Lloyd said.
“I didn’t want to make this entire Final Four about that because I’m just a small part of something much bigger. But on that same note, I’d also like to let you know that North Carolina is an amazing place. I mean, it’s a 1 of 1. It’s an honor to even be considered for that job.”
Lloyd's comments came a day before the Wildcats (36-2) were set to face Michigan in Saturday night's national semifinals in a matchup of the two 1-seeds in Indianapolis.
Wolverines coach Dusty May has also been mentioned as a possible UNC candidate, but said Friday he'll “never respond to any job speculation.”
“I think it’s well documented how happy I am at Michigan,” May said. “Obviously my private life, my personal life, my family, their happiness is very important. Yeah, I love it at Michigan, but you’ll never hear me comment on any other job unless Michigan lets me go and then I’ll comment on every job.”
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd waves as he cuts down the net after a win over Purdue in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd speaks during a news conference ahead of a national semifinal NCAA college basketball tournament game against Michigan at the Final Four, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
