– The final meeting of the Executive Committee of the Russian Olympic Committee in its present composition has just ended. As you all know, an Olympic meeting will be held on December 20 to elect the new composition of the Executive Committee and other governing bodies of the ROC.
Due to special circumstances, today we have summarized the results of our work not for 4 years, as is usually the case, but for 4.5 years. As for the new challenges for the Russian Olympic Movement, this calendar year has been particularly demanding. This, of course, has required extra efforts from all members of our great Olympic family without exception. And I am very glad that we have managed to avoid a split. We have preserved and strengthened our unity – I mean not only the all-Russian sports federations, not only the athletes, but also the state bodies, the Ministry of Sport and, of course, the Russian Olympic Committee – as the largest public sports organization.
We approached the Olympic meeting with this baggage and a financially stable position in the ROC.
Also today, the Executive Committee adopted a comprehensive and serious document – the ROC Strategy until 2028. Not only public sports organizations, but also the staff of the Russian Olympic Committee worked on it throughout the calendar year. The Strategy reflects all the main directions of the Olympic Movement for the next six years.
Several scenarios can be found there. The first concerns the participation of our athletes in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, and the second – the preparation of the Olympic reserve for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. To do this, we have both the time and the capacity: human, pedagogical, methodological and financial. Clearly, life can make adjustments to any plans. In some sports, Olympic qualification has already begun, and here our work is now aimed at ensuring the participation of our athletes in the qualifying competitions.
A large part of Strategy 2028 is dedicated to educational programs – training professionals not only in sports, but also in international activities and anti-doping, which is very important today. In the end, we had a balanced document that all of our key stakeholders could participate in drafting.
The adoption of Strategy 2028 is a big event for us. We look to the future with a certain amount of optimism. The document will become a guideline for the new composition of the ROC Executive Committee.
Traditionally, I thanked all the members of the Executive Committee for their active participation. There was also a sad event today. We honored the memory of Alexander Gorshkov, Olympic champion in figure skating and president of the Figure Skating Federation, with a moment of silence. Alexander Georgievich took an active part in the work of the Executive Committee until his last days.
– You are invited to the IOC summit. What are your hopes and plans for Lausanne?
– At the Olympic summit, the results of the year are usually summed up. Lausanne has invited the IOC vice-presidents, the heads of the federations of winter and summer Olympic sports and the leading national Olympic committees. This is an important platform to develop consolidated solutions and approaches to the activities of the Olympic sports community. There is no taboo on the topics discussed at the summit. This time, the Lausanne meeting is expected to result in a declaration reflecting current issues.
– On December 17, the validity of the CAS decision restricting the use of state symbols and the ability to hold competitions on the territory of the Russian Federation expires.
– Many people mistakenly associate the problem of RUSADA restoration with the activities of the Russian Olympic Committee. These are completely different things. We have fully complied with the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, so after December 17, all restrictions prescribed in the CAS decisions and related to the use of symbols or sanctions against individuals are removed.
As for the restoration of RUSADA, that is a separate question, which is handled directly by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency.
