Figure skating star Valieva thanks Putin for support

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, speaking at the opening of the International Youth Festival near Sochi, has commented on Russia President Vladimir Putin backing her in the wake of her two-year ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in an alleged doping scandal.

“I'd like to express my huge gratitude to our president for his support, his care and the opportunity to witness the Games of the Future opening. That's worth a lot,” she said, according to RIA. At the opening ceremony in Kazan, she sat to Putin's immediate left.

“We are the first country to have held such a massive event in both digital and physical sport, combining the two,” she said.

The Games of the Future, an innovative tournament combining traditional physical sports with videogames, simulations and high-tech competitions, were held in Kazan from February 21 to March 3 this year.