Tutberidze, who coached Valieva at Beijing 2022, has been announced as a recipient of the Order of Alexander Nevsky.

She has been awarded the honour by Presidential decree for "ensuring the successful training of athletes who have achieved high sports achievements" at the Winter Olympics.

As well as coaching Valieva, Tutberidze trained Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova who claimed gold and silver respectively in the women’s singles event at Beijing 2022.

Tutberidze, who had previously faced criticism for the short careers of athletes she had coached, courted controversy for her treatment of the-then 15-year-old Valieva at the Games.

Valieva was at the centre of a doping scandal after insidethegames revealed on February 9 2022 that she tested positive for a banned substance.

The teenager was cleared to compete in the women’s singles event by the Court of Arbitration for Sport which opted against re-imposing a provisional suspension for the failed drugs test, claiming that prohibiting the skater from competing could cause "irreparable harm".

But an error-strewn display in the free skate cost her a medal.

After the event, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach heavily criticised Valieva’s entourage, including Tutberidze who he claimed had created a "chilling atmosphere".

Tutberidze has since praised "our star" Valieva and said she was "at a loss" with Bach’s comments.

Putin has also recognised other Russian figure skating coaches including Sergei Dudakov and Alexander Zhulin who received the Order of Honour.

Daniil Gleikhengauz, a choreographer in Tutberidze's coaching team, has been awarded the Order of Friendship by Putin along with senior coach Valery Artyukhov and Russian Figure Skating Federation chief executive Alexander Kogan and Executive Committee member Sergey Sviridov.

Pyotr Durnev and Svetlana Sokolovskaya are other coaches to be honoured, winning the Medal of the Order "For Services to the Fatherland, 1st Degree", while Galina Golubkova, who is in charge of Russia’s junior national team, and pairs skating coach Artur Minchuk have secured the Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland, 2nd Class".

Valieva was the star of the Russian Olympic Committee team that won the team gold medals at Beijing 2022.

But the medal ceremony was cancelled after it emerged that Valieva had tested positive for a banned substance at the Russian Championships on December 25.

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) announced last month that Valieva, who claimed the positive test was the result of a mix-up with her grandfather's heart medication, had been found not guilty by its independent Anti-Disciplinary Committee.

It ruled that there was "no fault or negligence" on the part of Valieva and her only punishment should be disqualification from the Russian Championships.

RUSADA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) are currently both studying the full text of the decision before deciding whether or not to appeal.

WADA has already admitted it is "concerned" by the finding and the United States Anti-Doping Agency has urged WADA and the International Skating Union to appeal against it.

insidethegames has contacted the International Skating Union and IOC for comment.