A Florida woman took to TikTok to call out the toxic figure skating culture in Russia. This is in response to the country competing in the Olympics despite being banned. She specifically calls out controversial figure skating coach Eteri Tutberidze. Despite her passion, the Florida woman gets called out online with many comments correcting her.
She begins by stating how “figure skating runs so deep [in Russia] that they make sure they show up one way or another.” The Florida woman didn’t believe they’d see any Russian skaters this year. However, she admits that she “should have known better with how competitive they are.” The one thing she didn’t count on was seeing figure skating coach Tutberidze “sitting with one of her students in the kiss and cry box.”
The Florida woman believes the coach is “a big reason the Russians are not allowed to compete right now.” She continues by describing Tutberidze as “a huge component of the toxic culture in figure skating.” This is because the coach is the one who “basically runs everything over there.” She describes the coach’s presence as “shocking,” referring to the 2022 doping controversy. The scandal involved a teenage student testing positive for a banned heart medication.
The coach was present at the Olympics in support of her daughter, who “is skating for Georgia.” Another skater, Adeliia Petrosian, is from Russia, though is not representing the country. This means she arrived “without any of her coaches.” She is an individual skater, meaning “if she gets injured, they’re not allowed to replace her.” The Florida woman notes that a “massive stipulation for her going to the Olympics is that she wasn’t allowed to have anybody from Russia attached to her.”
Florida Woman Called Out Online
The Florida woman’s opinions get corrected in the comments. One calls her out, “As far as I know, Russia isn’t competing because they attacked Ukraine.” Another agrees, “You do know the reason they’re not allowed is because of the war, right?” The woman defends herself, stating, “I didn’t mean Eteri was the ONLY reason Russia was banned.” She continues, “I meant that before the war ever started, Russia and Russian skaters individually were already banned.”
Another corrects the Florida woman, saying Tutberidze can be present since she has a “student who competes for Georgia.” The Florida woman argues, “Eteri is also very closely connected to Putin and the regime in Russia.” One defends the coach, saying, “Skaters from Russia love Eteri.” A third agrees, “Figure skating Olympics are NOTHING without Russia.” Another argues, “They’ve been skating since they were like 3, so why would they abandon their dream and skip the Olympics over highly controversial reasons?” They conclude by asking her “to let [the skaters] be.”
