Despite the Court of Arbitration for Sport upholding the International Skating Union’s (ISU) provisional ban of figure skating coach Raimo Reinsalu, he has reportedly violated the suspension on multiple occasions in the past month, according to reports.
Raimo Reinsalu is prohibited from participating in “all ISU activities and events” while the ISU Disciplinary Committee determines whether he violated the ethics code, potentially through physical and emotional abuse of skaters. However, on March 4, Reinsalu was spotted at the Junior World Championships alongside Olga Kovalkova, and was similarly seen speaking with one of his athletes in the stands. He was not accredited for the competition. ISU security was alerted to his presence and confirmed he was not authorized to attend the event in any capacity.
Reinsalu also attended the Daugava Open Cup – a competition held in Latvia. During the event, which took place on March 12 and 13, Reinsalu was visible in live broadcasts. Several skaters and coaches filed complaints regarding Reinsalu’s presence to the Daugava Open Cup organizers and the Latvian Skating Association (LSA). Organizers of the competition have not responded to requests for comment.
“Reinsalu’s presence at these events indicates the difficulties in enforcing the disqualification in various countries. In Latvia and Estonia, where the Junior World Championships took place, Reinsalu has many connections in the skating world and may still have enough influence for local organizers to be afraid to act against him,” reports indicate.
Coach Karīne Magone, whose athletes participated in the Daugava Open Cup, contacted LSA leadership before the event, requesting they ensure Reinsalu would not be present. “I was upset that I would have to deal with this again during the competition,” Magone said, “so I contacted them in advance with this issue, they promised to capture care of everything and do everything, but unfortunately it was just words…”
The LSA has not issued a statement regarding Reinsalu’s disqualification. In January, after the Latvian police launched an investigation into alleged abuse of skaters by him, the LSA board nevertheless confirmed him as team leader for the European Championships. The LSA has not responded to requests for comment.
Previously, it was reported that Latvian police initiated an investigation into coaches Raimo Reinsalu and Olga Kovalkova from club “Kristal Ice” regarding allegations of emotional abuse of minors, and in Reinsalu’s case, also physical abuse. The International Skating Union imposed a provisional suspension on Reinsalu from participating in ISU events, including the figure skating competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where Reinsalu, a coach and consultant for Latvian and Lithuanian figure skaters, appealed, upheld the ISU’s decision.
CAS heard arguments and reiterated that a provisional suspension is a precautionary and protective measure, not a disciplinary sanction. Its function is not to presume guilt, but to protect the integrity of sport.
Considering the seriousness of the allegations, the CAS panel determined that the ISU Disciplinary Committee was justified in concluding that leaving the coach in his position until a final decision could create risks incompatible with the preventative and protective objectives of the ISU Ethics Code. The application was dismissed.
