Alexander Zhukov opened the House of the Russian Olympic team

On Saturday, November 16, Alexander Zhukov, the President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), opened the House of the Russian Olympic team on Manezh Square in Moscow. In the capital the doors of the House will be opened on November 16 and 17 from 10am to 8pm for everybody who wants to communicate with the famous Russian athletes.

“We have less than three months left before the start of the first in our country  Olympic Winter Games. Certainly, we would like the majority of Russians to get aquainted with the Russian national team. This is the reason why we came up with this project. Great athletes and Winter and Summer Olympic Games champions of different years are comming here and people can talk to them and learn more about the sports and the disciplines that will be represented at the Olympic games in Sochi. The House has already visited diffeerent cities of Russia and I am glad that it has reached Moscow this weekend”, – said Alexander Zhukov at the opening ceremony.

Five-time Olympic champion in synchronized swimming Anastasia Davydova and the Head of the Moscow Committee of Sports Alexey Vorobyov opened the doors of the House together with the ROC President.

The visitors of the House can convey their good wishes and messages to the members of the Russian Olympic team, participate in the contests and quizzes devoted to sports. A photo exhibition and video clips are also presented here, but perhaps the most interesting item of the exhibition is a pair of 3D glasses. It is very popular among the visitors, after all, wearing these glasses, anyone can feel like a snowboarder, ski flying athlete, bobsleigh racer hitting the ski slope, ski jumping or riding a bobsleigh and luge track. The ROC President has tested the 3D glasses, took a look at the exhibition materials and took part in the interactive quiz.

“The main objective of the House is to acquaint the fans with those who will represent our country at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. Indeed, a great many people do not even know our athletes. When they see an athlete in the Russian uniform, they definitely begin to support him or her, but if they will begin to recognize the athletes who are not wearing a national uniform and learn a lot more about their athletes, that’s quite another thing. In this case the support will also be quite different. Besides, you can not only get acquainted with the athletes, but also  experience winter sports with the use of 3D glasses. It will also attract a lot of people to sports”, – said Alexander Zhukov.

More than 20 Russian athletes – Olympic champions and medalists will visit the House of the Russian Olympic team in Moscow. Five-time Olympic champion Anastasia Davydova and four-time Olympic biathlon champion Alexander Tikhonov were among the first to visit the House. The latter even complained that there were no such projects in his time. The next stops of the House will be Syktyvkar and Krasnoyarsk.

“We want the motto “One country – one team” to be implemented in Sochi, because our athletes really need the support of the fans and I’m sure they deserve it”, – summed up Alexander Zhukov.