Stanislav Pozdnyakov:
– Just recently we met at the Russian Olympic Committee, and now the ROC delegation has come to Minsk on a return visit. Everything here reminds us of the magnificently organized European Games of 2019, which the Olympic movement still remembers with great warmth.
Unfortunately, the unprecedented politicization of sport by a number of Western countries largely overrides the tremendous work being done by the National Olympic Committees and the governmental structures of our countries.
In such a difficult time for Russian and Belarusian sport it is important to set the right accents. First of all, we are talking about athletes who are being tried once again, without any reason, to deprive them of the opportunity to participate in competitions, to fully engage in sports. In such circumstances, every effort must be made to create a virtually new sporting ecosystem in which athletes are developed, motivated and professionally fulfilled to the highest possible level. So that at the moment when the foreign policy situation changes, athletes will be ready to return to the system of international sports without any problems.
For this, inter alia, we need mutual integration of our resources, expert, methodical, scientific and educational components. Much work remains to be done on several fronts. In particular, it is very important to build a coherent, clear calendar of joint sports events, so that athletes have a permanent practice and are aimed at achieving results.
The expansion of cooperation with a reliable partner such as the Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus opens up new opportunities for us not only to keep the preparation of our national teams at a high level, but also to move forward.
By the way, this is not only about athletes. Coaching educational projects in the medium term can also lead to improved results. Especially in those sports where Russians and Belarusians are traditionally strong.
The daily activities of our NOCs also play an important role in this process. We hold a large number of different forums and conferences with the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes – this is both our International Forum of Young Olympians and your Forum of Athletes. There is, of course, still potential for growth.
This year is a difficult one, and in any case, it will be eventful. It is therefore very important that both representatives of public associations and members of governmental organizations attend today’s meeting. The difficulties that arise only make us stronger. Any crisis is a time of opportunity. The main thing is to implement them correctly. And from this point of view, I think that our communication today was very useful and productive.
