BEIJING — On the morning after figure skating's night of infamy, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach awoke to the deplorable way the adults who are supposed to look after 15-year-old Russian Kamila Valieva instead emotionally abused her.
It was startling to hear Bach say Friday that he was "very, very disturbed" to see Valieva's meltdown in her free skate program Thursday and that he was disheartened by the "tremendous coldness" shown by her coach and support team, given that the IOC generally regards female athletes as little more than interchangeable performers whose purpose is to promote the Olympic brand. Valieva's anguish was so raw, her entourage so callous that not even Bach could ignore it, and he tends to see rainbows and unicorns flitting around the Olympic rings while ignoring the cracks in the foundation.
Figure skating has a problem. It has many problems, actually. But what unfolded Thursday underscored the need for one of the glamor sports of the Winter Games to stop treating its athletes like disposable coffee cups and more like human beings who, at 15, often struggle to handle physical and emotional challenges. Figure skating's beauty doesn't have to be built on cruelty.
