Valieva thanked Putin for his support and attention

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for the support and attention shown during the opening ceremony of the Future Games in Kazan.

Valieva was alongside Putin at the opening ceremony of the Future Games in the capital of Tatarstan.

— The most active fans are in Kazan, I come from there. It hits the heart when you’re warming up for six minutes and you hear the whole room screaming your name, giving you goosebumps. Speaking about the “Games of the Future”, I want to be happy for our country, because we are the first to organize such large-scale competitions in physical and regular sports, combining all this.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to our president for the opportunity to attend the opening, for his support, for such attention, it is worth a lot,” Valieva was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti Sport.

At the end of January, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) suspended Valieva for four years for violating anti-doping rules. The 17-year-old Russian’s suspension period begins on December 25, 2021, and her results have been canceled since that date.

RIA Novosti Sport