Online Public Relations Thoughts

By all accounts, the coach of the Russian women skaters in the Olympics is a strict disciplinarian who does not allow anything but success.  He berated the 15-year-old skater, Kamila Valieva, for failing on the ice and ending up fourth.  The International Olympic Committee president said he was "disturbed by the intense pressure on the young skaters."  The silver medalist vowed never to go on the ice again in an emotional moment.  A question one is left asking is whether competition under such weight is worth it and whether the poor reputation of the Russian coach should get him barred from competition.  The coach will defend his methods by flaunting his results.  His adolescent athletes might rejoinder by quitting if they find him unbearable. But, they must be driven as well to continue to train under such intense criticism.  Such cruel coaching is giving Olympic skating a bad name and creating a PR problem for the IOC.  They can resolve it by banning the coach -- if they dare.