The scientific and practical platform, established as part of the agreement between the ROC and the Russian Ministry of Sport, will not only supplement the rich infrastructure of the federal training facilities, but will also increase the efficiency of the management of the training process for various sports representatives.
The modern equipment at the Sochi branch of the ROC Innovation Center will make it possible to provide scientific and methodological support for the preparation of national and regional teams.
Comprehensive monitoring of athletes’ functional, technical, psychological and tactical preparedness, based on the results of more than 170 different types of tests, will help to determine the individual capabilities of athletes more accurately, adjust training programmes and avoid methodological errors.
One important advantage of this site is the opportunity to study the effects of the hypoxic environment on the physical performance of athletes and to identify the characteristics of reclimatization after ‘middle-of-the-road’ training.
The center is uniquely equipped to measure “total hemoglobin mass”, which underpins most hypoxic training programs.
Another distinguishing feature of the ROC IC branch at Yug-Sport will be the presence there of a ski-treadmill, which is a legacy of the Sochi Olympic Games. This will greatly expand the capacity of the Innovation Center to identify the functional fitness of athletes, as well as allow a comparative analysis of the results obtained at the sites of the CI in Moscow, Kislovodsk and Sochi.
Stanislav Pozdnyakov, President of the ROC, opening the innovation platform in Sochi today, noted that this is not the last project of its kind.
– Today, we are implementing a unique joint project between the ROC and the Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation: a branch of the Innovation Center is opening in the Yug-Sport federal sports training center in Sochi. It is pleasing to see that the work we are doing to improve the efficiency of the national team’s training process is yielding concrete results.
It was very important for us to get the opinion of the all-Russian Sport Federation leaders on the need for such an initiative, and it became clear during the dialogue that we are moving in the right direction, creating new opportunities for athletes.
In particular, now there is one more ski-treadmill in Russia: the first such simulator was recently put into operation in the ROC building in Moscow. Given the well-developed sports infrastructure at the Yug-Sport base, we see great potential for the Innovation Center projects and coaching education programs here.
It is no secret that at the moment we have some difficulties in our relations with international federations and the sports movement in general. Such situations are a time of new opportunities, which we want to use in terms of training coaching staff and improving the methodological support of the teams. In addition, we will continue to open sites of the ROC Innovation Center at other federal training bases.
Alexander Grushin, Director General of the ROC IC, noted that the branch of the Innovation Center in Sochi will fully provide the current scientific and methodological examination of athletes.
– The availability of a separate subdivision of the ROC Innovation Center at the Yug-Sport federal base, where all our national teams and nearest reserves are trained, will enable us to monitor the functional state of athletes during training camps on a daily basis and, depending on the data obtained, adjust the training process. Specialists will have the opportunity to test various training methods on modern equipment and evaluate their effectiveness.
The Sochi site has become the second branch of the Innovation Center of the Russian Olympic Committee. The head office in Moscow fully provides a stage-by-stage comprehensive scientific and methodological examination of athletes. In Kislovodsk, the site is located at an altitude of 1,200 metres above sea level, allowing the effects of hypoxia on athletes in mid-mountain conditions to be studied. By the way, this is the only place in our country where all conditions are created for such research.
Many teams move to Yug-Sport in Sochi after their training camp in Kislovodsk, where you can follow the athletes’ reaclimatization process after their descent from altitude.
By combining all three sites with a common concept, we have a very interesting, comprehensive project – both scientifically and practically.
I would like to add that the ROC Innovation Center divisions in Moscow and Sochi have unique equipment for representatives of ski sports. The large cross-country skiing treadmills have a wide range of uses – they can be used not only to correct athletes’ technique and take readings of their physical condition, but also to build up specific model characteristics and to select special training exercises.
For federal sports bases, such innovative platforms are of particular value. They can provide not only medical and biological support for the training of athletes, but also scientific and methodological support.
Mikhail Dremov, director of the federal sports training center Yug-Sport, thanked the ROC for the opportunity to expand the range of services provided to sports teams at the base in Sochi.
– I am grateful to Stanislav Alekseevich Pozdnyakov for his initiative to open the ROC Innovation Center in our country. Combined with a similar research laboratory in Kislovodsk, which is at an altitude of 1,200 metres, we have unique opportunities for athletes of all ages and levels. It should be noted that representatives of all Olympic disciplines, except water sports, come to Yug-Sport at different times. Therefore, the ROD Innovation Center will definitely be in demand.
Viktor Maigurov, President of the Russian Biathlon Union, was one of the most interested spectators during the tour of the Innovation Center, because among the numerous simulators on the site there is a unique ski-treadmill, on which biathletes can train year-round.
– It is already clear that the new site of the ROC Innovation Center will be very useful for us. The fact that it is located directly on the sports base, and that it has a ski-treadmill, is a huge plus. I am confident that, as part of our cooperation with the Russian Olympic Committee, this project will be a good help to biathletes and help improve their results.
Oleg Zavalyuev, first vice president of the table tennis assosiation, reminded that recently the infrastructure of Yug-Sport FSBI was enlarged by the table tennis center, and with the opening of the branch office of the ROC Innovation Center, tennis players will have every opportunity for professional growth.
– On behalf of the athletes and coaches, I would like to thank the ROC for taking care of our sport. Yug-Sport became our second home. And the fact that scientific support has become even more accessible makes it possible to expect an increase in performance. In addition, we will definitely bring juniors here, because all conditions have been created here for them to improve their skills.
Natalya Ivanova, head coach of the Russian national sailing team, came to the event straight from her team’s training camp.
– We have long and productively cooperated with the Innovation Center of the ROC, working together to improve the results of yachtsmen. Opening a branch in Sochi is especially relevant for us, as it is quite difficult to travel to Moscow with such a busy training and competition schedule. Because of this, we used to be able to carry out comprehensive examinations only 2-3 times a year. Now we will be able to monitor the effectiveness of the training process on a regular basis and adjust it if necessary.
Maria Mazina, senior coach of the Russian junior epee fencing team, spoke about the direct impact of the research conducted by the ROC Innovation Center on sports performance.
– Last year, we were able to have a survey at the ROC Innovation Center in Kislovodsk and received some terrific material, which has been very helpful in our future work. As a result, the team then did not lose a single World Cup stage! The opening of one more of these sites will allow us to quickly make adjustments to the training process of our juniors, our “golden reserve”.
Maxim Agapitov, President of the Russian Weightlifting Federation, noted the importance of an individual approach to each athlete at such venues.
– We’ve been training in Sochi for years. At Yug-Sport, practically all the weightlifters in the country, who make up the national teams of different ages, train. And we are inspired by the fact that new opportunities are opening up before us today. Scientific and methodological work clearly contributes to the further development of weightlifting and improve results. I hope that the specialists of the ROC Innovation Center will find an individual approach to each athlete. This is very important. Thanks to the Russian Olympic Committee for creating such amazing conditions for all-Russian sports federations!
