As The Blade Turns - Oksana Baiul on Kamila Valieva, Eteri Tutberidze and Ukraine

This morning, the ISU announced that the gold medal in the team event at the 2022 Olympic Games would be awarded to Team USA, the silver medal would be awarded to Team Japan, and the bronze medal would be awarded to the Russian Olympic Committee. The focus in the Russian press is on Kamila Valieva and how the Court of Arbitration for Sport could be so harsh to a teenager. Yet, there remains little to no discussion of the role of Eteri Tutberidze, Dr. Shvetsky or the Russian Ministry of Sport. I spoke with Oksana Baiul to get her take in the latest edition of 'As The Blade Turns'.
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[@Elong.]

I’ll bet Kamila wasn’t even told what they were giving her. The doctor and coach should be held accountable.

[@controllertatianaleewaytex2863]

Where u got that doctor and coach must be accountable? You never thought there maybe other ppl responsible?

[@bunnynorway]

Nice to hear from Oksana. She seems settled and happy in her life, wish her all the best.

[@TheSkatingLesson]

[@g.a.9231]

I hope she is, but I don’t think she is. Happy people do not gossip.

[@mysticalmargaret6105]

​@@g.a.9231This is news not just plain 'gossip'. And she seems very happy indeed with her husband and child!

[@mht4908]

We stan Oksana'a no bullshit attitude. She always gives it to you straight, but is never rude about it. This whole situation was never Kamila's fault, and I wish the internet trolls will shift their focus from her to Tutberidze and the Russian skating federation. They are the ones responsible for what this 15 year old has been through, she was, and still is, just a child

[@primalcritters]

Thank you for saying that. As I said, Eteri did not "make" Kamila. Kamila was a Prodigy and Eteri knew it and of course she took her into her training camp because it would make her look really good. We all know that somebody tampered with her sample or somebody laced one of her drinks, this girl has been thrown to the wolves and the people surrounding her and the people in power need to be the ones that are attacked & not Kamila!

[@Patrick-vj1qu]

“You had to make Nancy wait for so long” 💀😂 you guys are so funny together🥰

[@TheSkatingLesson]

[@nickreynolds8391]

That was hilarious 😂

[@ingai7014]

😂💯

[@lisa-lisa-lisa]

instead of a black screen we should have a picture of oksana in a crown

[@corgeousgeorge]

Points were made!

[@JoshuaFazeli]

Queen Oksana delivering it to us straight. ♥️💕♥️

[@TheSkatingLesson]

💯

[@dkeinow]

good lord, I cannot keep up. I am still trying to finish listening and commenting to the US Nats with Renee Roca upload. Thank you!

[@TheSkatingLesson]

❤️🙏

[@sophiajohnson5501]

This is all so so sad..Oksana said it best "were all human". As sad as I am for Kamila, Im holding on to hope for her. I really appreciate the conversation between you two. Dave and Oksana are my favorite duo, so much love for you two spicy sassy humans!❣ OH, & thank you Dave for addressing the fact that none of her coaches or team are taking responsibility. Its like they've hung her out to dry. TSL lover forever!!

[@primalcritters]

Thank you for thinking of Kamila. She is the victim here and she is a prodigy. Someone in her training camp or some other power either tampered with her sample or laced her drink and they are throwing the teenager to the wolves. She is a prodigy and we can all see it by watching her career from 6 yrs old onwards

[@Hpatootf]

I honestly didn’t expect Christmas in January but here we are.

[@ingai7014]

😂💯

[@ssmith6870]

In 25 years time Valieva will have processed this and she will be in a documentary talking about what really happened, and how Tutberidze and the doctor ruined her career and her brilliance. I think it will take that long.

[@fsc4823]

i think she’ll either remain brainwashed or she’ll be paid to stay quiet.

[@user-kf8gp3kb9i]

If she stays in her home country, it's highly unlikely she'll reveal anything.

[@ddjr6673]

Thank you for this Dave - Oksana is a gem - blunt Eastern European honesty with deep humanity and empathy too. And only thing I disagree with her - she IS important - to all of us who know figure skating history ❤ love her ❤

[@TheSkatingLesson]

❤️❤️

[@ladagkudlackova3800]

Slava Ukraini! And God bless Oksana, our Queen🖤

[@jayjaybee]

Thanks for another great interview with Queen Oksana telling it like it is! 👑The Russians are such crybabies. 😂 And I feel all the adults around Kamila aren't going to get the punishment they so deserve.

[@JoshuaFazeli]

What was the medicine that Irina was taking that Rafael offered to Michelle but she declined because she is the best human being ever?

[@TheSkatingLesson]

Google

[@IoannisHodgesMameletzis]

Can’t find it

[@AuroraR]

I think it was meldonium

[@jamesyu5212]

@@TheSkatingLesson I hate it when people say "Google" as if it's that easy to even type what is needed to get the exact article referenced. I type Rafael - Michelle kwan- and nothing comes out.

[@sallygreenfield6991]

I will always listen to anything Oksana wants to say.

[@TheSkatingLesson]

💯

[@Calidastas]

Oksana at least has wisdom. She’s an insightful, serious person.

[@nikki_at_disney]

"You have to know her to hate her and love her" is also how I described my Russian ballet teacher.

[@primalcritters]

Well said. Love Russians

[@spamisyuckie]

Oksana, we love you!

[@TheSkatingLesson]

❤️❤️❤️

[@primalcritters]

People need to stop giving credit to Eteri for Kamila's talent. Don't get it twisted, Eteri did not make Kamila better, Kamila made Eteri look better. If you watched her career at all, look at her junior championship only a few weeks into training with Eteri, Girl on a ball is magnificent. In other words, Eteri did not make this girl. Kamila was already a genius prodigy. People need to stop giving Eteri all the credit. Some of these girls are actually insanely talented, and Kamila was obviously such with her extensive ballet training you can go back to her 6-year-old programs and beyond and you'll see it. This is why it's so painful for many people. As I've said before, we all know that one of those coaches came to her to give her a nutritional supplement and they laced it. Possibly they did it to all the girls, or maybe just Kamila that time because they were so insistent on her getting gold. The sad thing is, she could have done it without it. She was clean up the Olympics and she just needed to get her mind right, but the media coverage was overwhelming.

[@DamirNa]

you're right! She came to Tutberidze ready in everything like a cut diamond, she was already doing the same splits at the age of 7... and ballet choreography, and an ear for music, etc. I switched because the conditions there are better, there is more ice, etc. this was in 2018. but even before that, in juniors, she almost always won with gold! unless she was injured. But the competitors got scared with her transition to juniors, and began to think about how they would eliminate her from the competition... and they set her up. And this was in the interests of Russian girls and European and US girls. Because she is a Tatar girl.

[@primalcritters]

​@@DamirNaI wonder about that too since she's muslim. The whole thing is just very fishy and I'm horrified by comments about oh she's a cheater blah the whole thing is just very fishy and I'm horrified by comments about oh she's a cheater blah blah the whole thing is just very fishy and I'm horrified by comments about "oh she's only good because she doped." People that say that are people that have not actually followed her skating. She is breathtaking and I'm so worried for her mental health right now

[@prncesskarleigh]

You’re dead on. Blame the coaches. Travesty is she would have dominated without doping. Coaches too wrapped up in their own greedy ambitions to see that.

[@user-tz2fx1cu8v]

Oksana is just a legend, love her 😂❤

[@TheSkatingLesson]

[@Becca3232]

I love it when you talk to Oksana. ❤

[@JFRIGER]

She is a gem ❤thanks for this episode

[@TheSkatingLesson]

❤️❤️

[@doctorjames7454]

Loved this one!

[@janetjohnson7279]

Gotta Love Oksana!! 🥰

[@Richardsonprincess00]

Uh, where's the picture or video is at, i only see darker...

[@TheSkatingLesson]

Just an error

[@MT-rg4fn]

As they say in Russia, time to drink less

[@missblackcat4655]

Kamila was framed, I’ve no doubt about that. The whole doping case has been very fishy since the start, and now it’s even more suspicious. The Americans couldn’t beat the Russians in competition, but they can in politics. The same shit happened in Salt Lake. Canadian pair didn’t stand a chance against the Russians, yet everyone deluded themselves that they did. Of course, Olympics come and unsurprisingly the Russians win. Of course, this doesn’t sit well with the Canadians, and the Americans, so what do they do? They bribe a French judge to lie and say the Russians bribed *her* into voting for the Russian pair in exchange for Russia voting for the French ice dance team. When in reality the meddling was all done between the judge and the Canadians and Americans. My suspicions were confirmed when the French judge later recanted her story. Here, the Americans wanted the team gold but knew they couldn’t get it so long as Russia performed well, so they do the same thing and frame Valieva of doping.

[@FeineStrand]

Who is doing this Interview? Sounds like Johnny Weir... but can't tell? Did I miss it in the Desc? Thanks.

[@FeineStrand]

Nevermind.. saw in the Bio it's the founder, Dave Lease. Sure sounds like Weir. Excuse me, I'm new to TSL. Thanks.

[@seashellez]

We’re being FED!

[@TheSkatingLesson]

[@skibusia7]

Valieva's fault is not exposing the practices of Russian training system but I guess this is the deal. She's taking solely the blame but they will support her in Russia with ads etc.

[@primalcritters]

How can she? Are you nuts? To go up against a system like Russia? Even Americans would cower before their own governments, never mind Russia. Can't believe she's been theown to the wolves like this. Most talented artistic figure skater in history. Kills me

[@d.n.8919]

If she did that…she could literally get killed. They went after the Sochi whistleblower.

[@primalcritters]

@@d.n.8919 100 % correct

[@primalcritters]

​@iSkateNatewe have whistleblowers but think about the really big whistleblowers? They've left the country because they will be imprisoned for life or be killed. There's a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes in our government, people disappear you know. Please do not underestimate the power of a government, especially Russia

[@primalcritters]

​@iSkateNatedo you know what Edward Snowden did he leaked documents about how the NSA is spying on all of us without any supervision and they continue to do so. There is zero supervision or regulation over what the NSA can read, watch, etcetera. They are watching us all right now I'm not joking. As a result, Edward Snowden was faced with life in prison for this and he currently lives in Russia because he did not want to face life. He actually did a service and many people support him because there should be oversight to spying on our own citizens

[@Calidastas]

Kamila is the greatest female skater of all time. This reality cannot be changed by a court decision or anything anyone says. All of her work lives on KZbin and other platforms, and will outlive all of us. Girl on a Ball, Exogensis, In Memoriam, Interstellar, Storm, Truman Sleeps, Bolero, I See Red, and now Pyala. Her body of work is exquisite. She has already become legend.

[@russianballet681]

We'll said!

[@jamesyu5212]

The most balletic figure skater? Perhaps, with her amazing leg extension... The greatest? Absolutely not. Horrible, HORRIBLE Lutz and Flip technique with almost 360 degrees of prerotation. Terrible rocking edge between jumps in her combinations. Super distracting arm movements that reminds me of Elena radionova. Her upper body carriage and facial expressions don't hold a candle to yuna Kim, Anna shcherbakova, Carolina kostner, Michelle Kwan.

[@Calidastas]

@@jamesyu5212and yet has the highest scores ever received. Thanks for the technical assessment random KZbinr.

[@jamesyu5212]

@@Calidastas under a scoring system that started only in 2018. No problem, amateur.

[@Calidastas]

@@jamesyu5212are you smart enough to know that your response was irrelevant? 🤡

[@12oq]

it is hard to listen to her

[@kittymarch8455]

“God is what I chose the God to be.” Queen 👸

[@tweetiepie2023]

Legal teams always throw the book at people if they don't appear sorry or to understand why what they did was wrong, or make up implausible sounding excuses like the grandad story. They maybe thought she was lying and wanted her to tell the truth so they could really get to the bottom of this. Or maybe she doesn't know what happened. I don't think justice was done. Camilla was thrown under the bus.

[@dannyc6166]

I think Tarasova was really talking to the Kremlin. Oksana is the Ukrainian ice Queen!!!!!

[@TheSkatingLesson]

🇺🇦

[@user-bc1qw8pd4f]

Спасибо всем за любовь к Камиле! Такой не было и, наверное, не будет!

[@Elong.]

They made excuses about her using her grandfather’s medicine and didn’t take responsibility. It could happen again. They used Kamila and blamed her and ruined her career.

[@ingai7014]

Canada deserves Bronze !💯

[@ingai7014]

@@rossshepard246 yes :they will be all lose their medals !like USA 🇺🇸 team were stripped of 2012 silver ,because of one :Tylor Gay

[@corgeousgeorge]

Oksana is such a queen. Queen of No Fs given!!!

[@Daisyjones94]

The screen is pitch dark when playing the video… is that normal?

[@TheSkatingLesson]

Had an issue.

[@primalcritters]

Got to love Tatiana Tarasova.... scoundrels!

[@steelecbunurs2201]

Does Tarasova have dementia, seriously I am concerned

[@dominiquedominique6462]

I don’t think so. It sounds more like a standard Russian answerwhen things don’t go their way. After all Zheleznyakov (who is so much younger) is saying “There will be consequences for all our fallen people” Hard to say what he means but that but one thing is clear - Russian just do not appear mature enough to place in international sport world

[@sopranomegs]

Nah. I just think Russia likes to play the perpetual victim card and deflect, deflect, deflect.

[@ArohaStill]

No, just vile

[@primalcritters]

​@@ArohaStillshe's actually a lady you would probably like in real life.

[@littleblackpistol]

Blustering, stupid exaggeration and bald faced lies are Russian standard behaviour when they're in the wrong and know it. Look at their government. The Big Lie is their only mode of operation. They delude their population with it. To anyone outside, of course they sound demented.

[@ingai7014]

Common Oksana :valieva made more then enough to pay all those money back:with all the shows,competitions inside ruzzia for two years now -they bought her silence

[@dkadkins6545]

So many tangents.

[@flywings111]

Oksana sounds drunk...

[@primalcritters]

As usual

[@ingai7014]

She does not drink -get it over 🤡-ruzzian Ivan ?

[@ingai7014]

@@primalcritterskeep farting Ivan’s

[@user-nh5qj7cz3m]

😂

[@drednotfear-ru2kn]

Kamila Valieva is the best figure skater in the world. Valieva is ten times better than Oksana Baiul. Valieva has superior talent and ability. It benefits Baiul to keep Valieva from skating for Baiul to protect her own legacy. Baiul knows she is not better than Valieva. Valieva did not do anything wrong and should appeal the decision.

[@peteregan7864]

Shame she took drugs to achieve her ability.

[@empyte7454]

​@@peteregan7864Listening to bayul means not respecting yourself

[@nickreynolds8391]

​@@peteregan7864 We'll never truly know, but I doubt Kamila even knew what it was she was taking. If her team (coach & staff) handed her some pills and said they're vitamins or legal supplements or whatever, would she have even questioned them? I highly doubt it. And I think we all know beyond a shadow of a doubt that 15 year old Kamila Valieva at the very least wasn't scoring Trimetazidine solo on Russian street corners 😂

[@peteregan7864]

@@nickreynolds8391 Of course you're right but the fact that the drug was in her system unfortunately throws doubt on all her achievements and titles and medals that were gained have to be removed. Would she have won them without drugs? We'll never know. Sure she's a victim of a corrupt state sponsored system and those of her coaching team should be investigated and dealt with but the only people who can do that are the Russian skating authorities but I won't hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

[@nickreynolds8391]

​@@peteregan7864Yep, I agree with you on all counts.

[@corgeousgeorge]

Omg i live for Oksana's family, clanking all the pots and pans in the background, and her husband not caring that shes doing a phone call with the media (you). Ha ha

[@fluttershy912]

[@ingai7014]

Let me guess :tutberidze will be unpublished and still behind ice skating rink at international competitions 😳

[@ingai7014]

I love ❤️-tarasova is angry 😂