Stanislav Pozdnyakov: “The formation of anti-doping culture among young athletes is our priority”

The International Forum of Young Olympians, organized by the ROC with the support of the IOC Olympic Solidarity, WADA, RUSADA and Moskomsport, took place on June 1 in Moscow.

Opening the Forum, the President of the Russian Olympic Committee Stanislav Pozdnyakov spoke in detail about the objectives of the event, which got an international status this year.

“We do not accidentally hold the Forum on the Children’s Day. Our main goal is to protect young athletes from modern negative phenomena that exist in sports. The main one is doping. The combat against this evil is conducted in all corners of the planet, and our duty is to tell you how not to become its victim.

To feel comfortable, not to worry about the fate of their medals and awards, athletes from the very beginning of their careers should be prepared for many things, starting with the doping control procedure and ending with knowledge of anti-doping rules, their rights and obligations in this area.

The Russian Olympic Committee pays great attention to the combat against administration of prohibited drugs. I want to express deep gratitude to our partners from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, who are conducting this educational forum with us for the second time. Many thanks also to the representatives of the IOC and WADA, who responded to our invitation.

Today in the hall there are representatives of 16 national Olympic committees. In total, more than 100 young athletes from Russia, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Serbia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. These youngsters have a great opportunity to communicate with each other, make new friends and, speaking in young people language, get a lot of additional “likes” in social networks. I am sure that this Forum gives all participants not only valuable knowledge, but also positive emotions,” the Head of the ROC emphasized.

A bit later, in an interview with journalists, Stanislav Pozdnyakov noted the importance of joint efforts to form a stable rejection of future Olympians of any negative methods to achieve results.

“The Forum platforms, its training programs are designed for young people. The work with this age group of athletes is a priority for us, because right now the anti-doping culture is formed in young people.

It is a satisfaction to know that we are not alone in this endeavor — the IOC, WADA and RUSADA support us, which makes our efforts to protect the rights and interests of young athletes not only impressive, but also effective.”