Dear Olympic Assembly participants,
The restructured Russian Olympic Committee has been diligently working for a year now. Despite a challenging external environment marked by pressure and sanctions, Russian sports are steadily making their way back to the international stage. The Russian Olympic Committee maintains communication with the International Olympic Committee, various International Sports Federations in Olympic sports, and numerous other organizations.
The decision by the European Gymnastics Executive Committee to elect Marat Filippov, our colleague, Vice President of the Russian Olympic Committee and Secretary of the Presidential Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports, is quite significant and deserves attention!
Overall, we have achieved significant results in various sports this year. We have successfully won four arbitration cases and restored the rights of skiers, lugers, bobsledders, skeleton racers, and table tennis players.
I would like to take a moment to express my gratitude to our lawyers, whose teams we have expanded within both the Ministry of Sports and the Russian Olympic Committee. Additionally, our advocates are currently working in Lausanne. It is worth noting that judokas were the first among Olympic sports to regain the right to compete under their own flag, along with their national anthem. Our team competed in the 2025 Judo Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi, along with 350 participants from 52 countries. We secured two gold and two silver medals. The performance of our judokas continued at the Judo Grand Slam in Tokyo, where our anthem played again, and the Russian flag was raised.
On December 4th, the Executive Committee of the International SAMBO Federation (FIAS) decided to grant our national team access to represent our flag and anthem starting January 1, 2026, following their victories. A similar regulation was implemented for our Youth and Juniors earlier in October. Now, this recognition extends to all categories of athletes.
We believe it is due to the influence of our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. He is highly respected in the sports community, especially in martial arts. As a master in both judo and sambo, it makes perfect sense that these sports were among the first to have our national symbols and teams reinstated on the international stage.
The reinstatement of the Russian Paralympic Committee has emerged as a significant event. This achievement was the result of extensive efforts from the Ministry of Sports, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, our embassies, and various diplomatic channels. Everyone involved worked diligently to influence the decision-making process and promote a sense of common understanding regarding this reinstatement. Ultimately, our collective efforts paid off, and the Committee has regained its rights.
Besides, our country was elected to the UNESCO Anti-Doping Fund Committee for the first time since 2019. This issue was successfully resolved due to the personal efforts of myself and Alexander Nikitin, Vice President of the Russian Olympic Committee. In the end, we successfully secured a victory through a secret ballot.
While we are in the midst of our journey back to a significant presence in the global sports arena, not all decisions are made as quickly as we would prefer. However, we truly appreciate the support from the International Olympic Committee.
By the end of the September Executive Board meeting, it had been announced that all athletes would be granted access to the 4th Summer Youth Olympic Games, scheduled for October-November 2026 in Dakar, Senegal. We are eagerly awaiting the official invitation for our Olympic team to participate in these competitions.
At the forum of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) in Brussels, IOC leader Kirsty Coventry delivered a speech emphasizing the unacceptability of political obstacles in sports. She put in the limelight that every eligible athlete and team should have the opportunity to participate without facing discrimination or political interference. This situation is particularly challenging for Mrs. Coventry, as she is also under significant pressure as are the members of the IOC Executive Board.
The course is clearly set, and Coventry emphasized the host countries’ responsibility to ensure access for everyone while respecting the universality and autonomy of sports. This sends a vital message!
So far, 67 International Federations, including 34 Olympic ones, have granted access for athletes from Russia to compete in international events. 4,200 Russian athletes have achieved international recognition, with 700 of them earning this status just this year alone. The monitoring group has been established within the Russian Olympic Committee to track the status of athletes across all Olympic sports. Previously, we lacked comprehensive data on how many of our athletes held various statuses. Where courts are taking place, where denials occur, and where positive outcomes are achieved.
In sports like swimming, fencing, judo, archery, rowing, and modern pentathlon, Russian athletes are allowed to participate in team tournaments. This has enabled them to compete in many major international events, including 40 World and European championships in Olympic sports, where they have won a total of 112 medals. Our team has shown outstanding performance across various sports, including martial arts, weightlifting, artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, rowing, figure skating, aquatics, and cycling, dominating the podium in numerous competitions.
Let me highlight a few more competitions that deserve special attention. For the first time in six years, we returned to the Universiade, which has been held in Germany this year. Our athletes delivered a strong performance. I would like to thank Russian Students Sport Union and its head, Sergey Vladimirovich Kryukov, for this success. He serves as my advisor in my role as the head of the ROC and is currently managing a complete overhaul of student sports.
In the autumn of 2025, Azerbaijan hosted the III CIS Games, which brought together 1,624 athletes from 13 nations. The Russian team, competing in full force under its national flag, won a total of 231 medals, 130 of them gold.
In November, the “Sky Grace” in Beijing – an international sports competition in rhythmic gymnastics – saw participation from over 500 athletes representing 17 countries. Russian gymnasts secured 25 medals, including 17 gold.
The gradual expansion of opportunities for our athletes on the international stage is a direct result of the growing influence of the Russian Olympic Committee and our National Sports Federations, as well as improved management across our entire sports ecosystem.
For the first time, the heads of the relevant Athletes’ Commission have been included in the ROC. Today, we have approved the inclusion of Vladlena Bobrovnikova and Artur Dalaloyan as members of the ROC.
The ROC has established a new commission aimed at enhancing sports officiating, led by its Deputy Chairman, Arkady Rotenberg, a Hero of Labour of Russia.
The Chamber of Arbitration for Sport, established by the ROC, has been relaunched with an updated charter. One of the initial decisions by its board was to exempt athletes from having to pay arbitration fees. This is crucial news! The Russian Olympic Committee, as the Chamber’s founder, will cover all related costs for our athletes.
The Chamber has welcomed two distinguished international arbitrators: Austrian Michael Geistlinger, a professor of public international law at the University of Salzburg and a legal advisor to both the International Skating Union and the World Olympians Association; and Chinese Xiang Huiying, a doctor of law, professor, and Vice President of the International Association of Sports Law, who holds numerous titles and positions in the global sports community. The recruitment of foreign arbitrators to our Chamber of Arbitration for Sport will continue.
We have also selected Bosco as the sole supplier for the National and Olympic team uniforms, following an initiative from our athletes. The company is well-regarded, and Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin examined the collection at the Forum «Russia – country of sports», where I shared samples of the new apparel with him.
The ROC will continue its educational initiatives. This year, the VII International Young Olympians Forum was held in Vyborg, with representatives from 26 countries, including China, India, Cyprus, Thailand, Mongolia, Serbia, Sweden, and several former USSR republics.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Sports, the ROC has launched large-scale projects such as the “All-Russian Sports Dictation”, “Great Country – Sports Power”, and the “Olympic Alphabet”. All these initiatives aim to promote Olympic sports, advocate for a healthy lifestyle, and foster patriotism and love for Russia.
To support talented youth, the ROC is continuing its scholarship program for students and postgraduates at federal educational institutions under the Ministry of Sports. Notably, next year, we plan to significantly increase amount of the Olympic scholarships.
Additionally, we have developed a new unified mascot for the Russian Olympic Team, inspired by one of the most iconic sports mascots in history – the Olympic Bear. It is currently in the process of being registered as a trademark.
Collaboration with the Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA) is ongoing. In accordance with directives from the President of Russia, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, we have notified all sports federations about the importance of utilizing only medical organizations under the FMBA for the medical and biological support of our athletes. As it stands, specialists not affiliated with the FMBA will no longer have access to the athletes.
The ROC Innovation Center “Recordica” remains an important platform for the scientific and methodological support of sports training for members of national teams and the Olympic reserve. Over the past year, specialists have conducted over 63,000 tests.
Alongside the Ministry of Sports and All-Russian sports federations, we are committed to advancing the interests of athletes and Russia. I believe we have a lot of important work ahead, all focused on a shared goal; achieving victory for Russia across all fronts.
Thank you for your attention!
