During the talks, the parties discussed several of the most pressing issues in the international sports agenda and, of course, the IFSC Climbing World Championships taking place in Moscow.
– IFSC and CFR have organized an amazing tournament. I can say that a great job has been done, – said Stanislav Pozdnyakov. – It is clear why the IOC, starting with the 2024 Games in Paris, decided to increase the number of medals in sport climbing. It is a dynamic, unpredictable, spectator-friendly sport that TV audiences adore.
In turn, Marco Scolaris said that holding the World Championships in Moscow became possible, among other things, thanks to the great work carried out by the Climbing Federation of Russia.
– WADA has never had any questions for Russian climbers, – stressed the IFSC President. – And we are very glad that we managed to get together in Moscow. The excellent organization of the competition proves that all our concerted efforts were not in vain.
Dmitry Bychkov recalled that this was already the second major climbing tournament hosted by the Russian capital. In the spring of last year, the European Championships took place in the Moscow where several Olympic licenses were handed out.
– Together with the Russian Olympic Committee, we will continue to pay special attention to developing the infrastructure for our sport. On the basis of the CSKA Climbing Center, which is in the final stage of construction, we plan to open an international training center and a training base.
Marco Scolaris noted that this sports complex could become the largest in the world.
– It would be great if not only Russian, but also foreign climbers could train in Moscow. Moreover, a similar example already exists: teams from several European countries are preparing at the climbing center in the Austrian city of Innsbruck. In addition, in the future, the CSKA Climbing Center may become an excellent platform for hosting major events.
– Competitions and joint training sessions not only allow us to see the best athletes of the planet, but also leave an everlasting legacy for the younger generation, – added Stanislav Pozdnyakov. – By the way, in recent years, several modern climbing gyms have been built across Russia as part of the program to support new types of Olympic sport.
Ivo Ferriani highly appreciated the work done by the participants of the meeting in the interests of sport and athletes themselves. He also noted that the results of such efforts were vivid examples of genuine Olympic solidarity.
The ROC President thanked Ivo Ferriani, who also heads the Association of International Olympic Winter International Sports Federations (AIOWF) and the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF), for his efforts to develop winter sports. Further on, Stanislav Pozdnyakov expressed confidence that the Olympic bobsleigh and skeleton tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics would be held at the highest level, and the Games as a whole would become another successful and historic event for the IOC.
Following the meeting, the parties discussed the important social role of sports, the inclusion component in the field of physical activity, and agreed to support the idea of promoting paraclimbing in the program of the 2028 Summer Paralympic Games set to be held in Los Angeles.
