The ROC helps summer sports federations to prepare for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

On Friday, May 16, in the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), a regular meeting of the Commission for the Review of programs (measures) to additionally promote preparation of Russian athletes and their participation in the Olympic Games. All applications that appeared on the meeting agenda were related to the preparation for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. They all were unanimously approved. Commission members particularly insisted on the participation of foreign coaches, working with national teams, on the workshops and master classes, held by the ROC Russian experts in order to share experiences.

First ROC experts considered the additional submission of the Table Tennis Federation of Russia. They applied for finance to pay fees and travel expenses for Belorussian coaches Alexander Pyatkevich and Tatyana Petkevich for the period from January 1 to May 31, 2014. Roman Markov the executive secretary of the Table Tennis Federation of Russia Board of Trustees and Vice-President of the International Table Tennis Federation spoke on this issue.

“We feel full support of the Russian Olympic Committee in all matters starting from the Olympic movement and ending with issues related to the interaction with the international federations. I want to   pay tribute to the ROC management. They respond very quickly to our requests. We can really feel their willingness to help with all issues. And this applies to all departments of the ROC – international, financial and legal. Well done guys. Our task is to properly explain that we really need this help, for example to pay foreign coaches’ fees”.

The second funding application to pay the coaching staff preparing Russian athletes for the Olympics, was announced by Executive Director of Russian Fencing Federation Andrey Startsev, who was also pleased with the outcome of the Commission meeting. “Our federation has been cooperating with the ROC for many years and on behalf of the Russian Fencing Federation I express my deep gratitude to the staff of the ROC, and I would like to note that at present the Russian Olympic Committee continues its qualitative development”.

Application of the Russian Water Polo Federation to finance training and sports activities of the Russian men’s team during preparations for the Olympic Games was presented by the President of the Federation Evgeny Sharonov. By the way, this was the second application in less than three weeks. In late April, the ROC Commission decided to allocate funds to compensate the head coach of the Russian men’s national  team Australian citizen Erkin Shagaev. “Without this support, preparation for the European Championships would be incomplete – admitted the President of the federation. – I would like to thank the ROC for its support during these difficult times, when our men’s team is going through a rough period of generational change, and in fact it is going through a forming stage”.

The last application considered was the application of the Volleyball Federation of Russia to finance the application fee for the right to stage the World of Grand Prix in Kaliningrad in August this year. Director General of the federation Andrey Gorbenko acted as its representative. “If not for today’s positive decision of the ROC we would probably  search for resources elsewhere, perhaps from a prizes for our players, therefore we thank the ROC for support”, – he said after the Commission meeting.

On Thursday, speaking at the annual general meeting of the All-Russia Association of Summer Sports, ROC President Alexander Zhukov said that as of May 15, 2014 — two years before the 2016 Games — the amount of funding for additional activities of all-Russia sports federations to prepare for the Rio Games is 222.2 million rubles. This amount is almost equal to the total amount of the ROC funds allocated for the activities of the summer Olympic sports federations in preparation for the London 2012 Games (253 mln.).