Olympics President 'Very Disturbed' Watching Teenage Russian Skater Compete

(Bloomberg) -- International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said he was “very very disturbed” watching Russian Olympic Committee figure skater Kamila Valieva's competition Thursday, adding that he felt discomfort over how the teenager, who is under investigation for a positive drug test, was treated by her coaches and support staff.

“You could feel this immense stress, maybe she would've preferred to leave the ice,” Bach told reporters Friday in Beijing. “When I afterwards saw how she was received by her closest entourage, with what appeared to be a tremendous coldness, it was chilling to see this rather than to give her comfort and try to help her.”

Valieva has been at the center of a doping controversy at the Beijing Winter Olympics after it came to light last week that she failed a drug test in December and had been briefly suspended by Russian anti-doping authorities. The 15-year-old was favored to take gold at the women's figure skating event, but in a shocking twist fell several times during the free skate portion of the contest despite commanding a large lead after the short program, and took fourth place. Her teammates Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova took first and second, while Japan's Kaori Sakamoto placed third.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport earlier in the week ruled that Valieva would be allowed to continue competing despite the drug test, although the IOC has said there is still no verdict on whether she is guilty of doping. The World Anti-Doping Agency said it would further investigate Valieva's support staff. The ruling sparked a global outcry among both sports bodies and athletes who argued that the ruling was unfair to other competitors.

Bach also told reporters Thursday that the rules around fairness in sport and minors in senior competition would need to be reviewed, but that it would need to be done in careful consultation with other international sports bodies.

With assistance from Bloomberg