Russian Figure Skater Adeliia Petrosian Makes Olympic Debut Amid Coaching Controversy
The Milan and Cortina Winter Olympics witnessed the highly anticipated debut of Russian figure skater Adeliia Petrosian on Monday, as she took to the ice at the Assago Arena for the women's singles competition. Clad in a sparkling red jacket, the 18-year-old performed a dynamic short program set to a Michael Jackson medley, featuring the tracks 'Earth Song' and 'They Don't Care About Us'.
Petrosian delivered a career-best score of 72.89, positioning her on the fringe of medal contention ahead of Thursday's concluding free skate. This performance marks only her second senior competition outside Russia, following her victory at the Skate to Milano event in China last year. Known by the sobriquet 'Miss Mystery', Petrosian is a three-time national champion in her home country.
Political Ramifications and Eligibility
Petrosian's appearance at the Games comes with significant political undertones. She was invited to compete only after being judged not to have supported Russia's war on Ukraine and having no links to the country's military or security services. This careful vetting process highlights the ongoing tensions surrounding Russian athletes' participation in international sports events.
In a rare 2024 interview with international media, Petrosian revealed personal details about her childhood dreams of hairdressing and selling vegetables, along with her affection for her Yorkshire terrier, Almochka. These humanizing elements contrast sharply with the geopolitical context of her Olympic participation.
The Tutberidze Factor
The most contentious aspect of Petrosian's Olympic journey involves her coach, Eteri Tutberidze, who runs the Sambo 70 club in Moscow. This same club nurtured Kamila Valieva, whose dramatic fall during the 2022 Beijing Olympics following a positive drugs test resulted in disqualification. Tutberidze faced severe criticism from then International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, who expressed being "disturbed" by Valieva's error-strewn performance and condemned the "tremendous coldness" of her entourage.
Despite concerns from World Anti-Doping Agency president Witold Banka, who stated he was "not comfortable" with the situation, Tutberidze has managed to circumvent the Russian ban by being accredited as a member of the Georgian delegation. She recently coached Luca Berulava and Anastasiia Metelkina to a silver medal in Monday's pairs competition.
Although Tutberidze has been seen with Petrosian in the Milan practice hall, she was not permitted rink-side on Tuesday due to her accreditation with a separate delegation. Nevertheless, her influence was evident in Petrosian's audacious, if slightly under-stated, performance.
Russian Dominance in Women's Figure Skating
Petrosian seeks to extend Russia's remarkable hold on the women's singles figure skating title, which dates back to Adelina Sotnikova's controversial victory over South Korea's Yuna Kim in Sochi 2014. This legacy continued with Alina Zagitova's triumph in Pyeongchang 2018 and Anna Shcherbakova's gold medal in Beijing, where another Tutberidze protégé, Alexandra Trusova, famously fled the ice vowing never to skate again, only to reappear days later as Wonder Woman at the post-Games gala.
However, Petrosian is unlikely to continue this illustrious lineage without a dramatic twist. She notably resisted the quad-jumps that have become a trademark for most Tutberidze skaters, opting for a more conservative technical approach in her debut performance.
Post-Performance Reflections
"I am very happy with my skate," Petrosian declared afterward. "This was the most important skate of my life." As the culmination of her performance drew cheers from the packed Milan crowd, the political ramifications of her appearance momentarily faded into the background. For a fleeting instant, as she threw her head back and accepted the acclaim, she transformed from a symbol of geopolitical tension into simply another young athlete skating her heart out to a pop song.
The Winter Olympics continue to serve as both a sporting spectacle and a political stage, with Petrosian's debut encapsulating this dual reality. Her journey from Moscow's Sambo 70 club to the Olympic ice in Milan represents not just athletic achievement but also the complex navigation of international sports diplomacy in a polarized world.
