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A source told Russia’s state news agency TASS that figure skater Kamila Valieva has resumed training with Eteri Tutberidze’s team. No official confirmation had been issued by the time Meduza published its report, and the terms of any return remain unknown. Valieva’s sporting status is also affected by the end of her doping ban and the ISU’s September revocation of her neutral-athlete status.
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has reportedly resumed training with coach Eteri Tutberidze’s team, according to a source cited by the Russian state news agency TASS and reported by Meduza on October 19. No official statement from Valieva or the coaching team had confirmed the reported return at the time of publication, leaving the details of the arrangement unclear.
The report would mark a return to a coaching group Valieva worked with for years before the pair’s partnership ended in 2025. After that split, Svetlana Sokolovskaya became Valieva’s coach. The TASS source’s account, as relayed by Meduza, did not specify when Valieva rejoined the team, whether the arrangement is permanent, or what role Tutberidze will have in her training.
Valieva, now 20 years old, resumed her skating career in January 2026 after her four-year disqualification ended. Meduza reported that the ban’s term was calculated from the date the anti-doping violation was recorded. Valieva had also obtained neutral-athlete status, but the International Skating Union revoked that status in September, according to the report.
Those developments make the reported coaching change separate from the question of where Valieva can compete. A return to Tutberidze’s training group, if confirmed, would establish a coaching arrangement; it would not by itself restore the neutral status the ISU revoked or settle her eligibility for any particular event.
Coaching Return and Competition Status
If confirmed, the move would reconnect Valieva with the coach under whom she became one of Russia’s best-known skaters. She set world records in the short program, free skate and combined score, and was regarded as a leading medal contender before the 2022 Winter Olympics. A renewed working relationship could shape her preparation as she attempts to continue her career after her disqualification.
But the report does not answer the immediate sporting question: whether Valieva can compete internationally. The ISU revoked her neutral-athlete status in September, according to Meduza. Any plans to train, enter competitions or seek a change in that status would need to be distinguished; the report establishes only what a TASS source said about her training.
The distinction matters because training with a prominent coach can attract attention as a sign of a possible competitive return, while eligibility is governed separately. Until an official statement or further information clarifies the situation, the reported reunion should not be treated as confirmation of a competition plan.
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From Tutberidze to a New Coach
Valieva trained for years under Tutberidze and rose to prominence before the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022. During the Games, one of her doping tests returned a positive result. She had won gold in the team event but finished the individual competition without a medal. The subsequent anti-doping case led to a four-year disqualification.
In 2024, Valieva’s disqualification was upheld, and the results of Russian skaters in the Olympic team event were revised, Meduza reported. In 2025, Valieva and Tutberidze ended their coaching partnership, and Sokolovskaya took over as her coach. Valieva returned to her career in January 2026 when the disqualification period ended, before the ISU revoked her neutral status in September.
The reported return would therefore reverse the coaching change made the previous year, but it comes amid a separate unresolved issue over international participation. The available report does not describe any new decision in Valieva’s anti-doping case or any change to the ISU’s status decision.
“Valieva has resumed training with Eteri Tutberidze’s team.”
— A source cited by Russia’s state news agency TASS, as reported by Meduza
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Confirmation and Eligibility Remain Open
The central uncertainty is whether Valieva has officially rejoined Tutberidze’s team. The report relies on an unnamed source cited by TASS, and Meduza said no official statement had been issued by publication time. Neither Valieva’s own account nor a statement from Tutberidze or the team was included in the source material.
Other details are also unconfirmed: the date training resumed, the scope and duration of the arrangement, whether Sokolovskaya remains involved, and whether the reported coaching change is connected to specific competitive plans. The available information also does not say that Valieva’s neutral-athlete status has been restored after its revocation by the ISU in September.
There is no stated new ruling or announcement concerning her disqualification. The reported return to training should not be read as evidence that her eligibility has changed.
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Official Statements and ISU Status
The next confirmation to watch for is a statement from Valieva, Tutberidze, or their representatives addressing whether she has returned to the team and what the coaching arrangement involves. Any such statement could clarify when the training resumed and whether the reported move is intended to support a competitive comeback.
For international competition, the relevant development would be an update from the International Skating Union or another responsible sporting authority on Valieva’s status. Until there is confirmation of both the coaching arrangement and her eligibility, the report indicates a possible change in training, not a confirmed return to international competition.
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Key Questions
Has Kamila Valieva officially returned to Eteri Tutberidze?
Not according to the information available in Meduza’s October 19 report. A source told TASS that Valieva had resumed training with Tutberidze’s team, but no official statement had confirmed it by publication.
Who coached Valieva after her partnership with Tutberidze ended?
After Valieva and Tutberidze ended their partnership in 2025, Svetlana Sokolovskaya became her coach, Meduza reported.
Can Valieva compete internationally now?
The report does not establish that she can. Valieva’s disqualification ended in January 2026, but the ISU revoked her neutral-athlete status in September. No subsequent restoration was reported.
What happened in Valieva’s doping case?
During the 2022 Winter Olympics, one of Valieva’s doping tests returned a positive result. In 2024, she remained disqualified for four years, with the period calculated from the date the violation was recorded, according to Meduza. The results of Russian skaters in the team event were revised.
Source: rss
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