Olympics boss Thomas Bach has been subjected to a Russian backlash for his criticism of Kamila Valieva’s coach.
Bach, the all-powerful president of the International Olympic Committee, said he was “very disturbed” watching the 15-year old melt in the spotlight following her positive drugs test.
He added that it was “chilling” to see the “tremendous cold” reaction to her afterwards from coach Eteri Tutberidze.
As Valieva arrived home in Moscow, where the Russian Anti-Doping Agency will decide whether she is guilty of an anti-doping violation, Tutberidze admitted: "I am still at a loss from the assessment of our work by the esteemed Mr. Bach."
Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko weighed in with his own rebuke for the Lord of the Rings.
"We are deeply disappointed to see an IOC President weave his own fictional narrative on the feelings of our athletes, and then present these publicly as the voice of the IOC," Chernyshenko told insidethegames.
"This is frankly inappropriate and wrong. Everyone recognises the Olympics as the pinnacle of professional sport, and every single athlete bears the hopes and dreams of their entire nation for their success.
"That is a known pressure, and it is also what drives them forward, with a fighting spirit.
"Win or lose we know our athletes are world-beating, and they do too.”
