As part of an online conference dedicated to the preparation of the Russian women’s handball team for the main sports event of the season, the President of the ROC shared his expectations on the performance of Olympic champions in Tokyo, spoke about the vaccination of athletes and also announced the approximate number of Russian Olympians who will arrive in Japan before the official opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.
– The Olympic Games are right around the corner, but there is still an opportunity to make adjustments to the training process and logistics, if necessary, – said Stanislav Pozdnyakov. – I have held several meetings with the leaders of the All-Russian Sports Federations where we discussed various models for the final stage of preparation. Unfortunately, in many cases the teams had to resort to a backup plan by replacing Japan with the Far East as the final training camp.
The Russian Handball Federation decided to organize a direct flight from Moscow to Tokyo for the women’s team. On our part, we have provided the Russian Handball Federation with all necessary assistance and we hope this helps.
The women’s handball team is among the favorites of the upcoming Games – recall that they won gold in Rio. Much attention will be given to them. I recently met with some of the athletes when the team held a training camp in Sochi. We had a great conversation and got to know each other better. Such meetings are needed to create the necessary emotional contact between players and management.
I would like to note that the first group of ROC delegates is already in Japan. From tomorrow they will be ready to receive the teams in Tokyo and assist in solving organizational and other issues.
Stanislav Pozdnyakov also noted that the women’s handball team was fully vaccinated.
– I would like to thank the Russian Handball Federation and all athletes for accepting our recommendations. More than 50 percent of Olympic athletes have already been vaccinated. When the Games start, this figure will reach 60 percent. In addition, many will have a stable antibody titer.
The specifics of entering the Olympic Village have been clearly laid out. Approximately 40-50 of our athletes will already be there right before the start. The decision on their participation in the opening ceremony will be made based on the schedule of performances and in agreement with the coaches. But I can already say for sure that the flag-bearers of the ROC Team on July 23 will be sabre fencer Sofya Velikaya and volleyball player Maxim Mikhaylov, both Olympic champions. We are looking forward to this opening ceremony which will be a landmark event for the entire Olympic family.
