Thomas Bach: «The new ROC management are looking to the future and committed to implementation of promising projects».

The President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach, who attended the final match of the football World Cup in Moscow, visited the Russian Olympic Committee today.

In the building, located at Luzhnetskaya embankment, Thomas Bach had a highly-topical program, including a meeting with the ROC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov and the First Vice-President Igor Levitin. In the course of the talks the parties emphasized the mutual interest in enhancing cooperation in a number of areas and discussed topical issues of the Olympic Movement development in general.

Thomas Bach also familiarized himself with the plans to build and equip the Olympic Museum to be placed at one of the former VDNKH pavilions and with the main stages of the development of the Olympic internet television ROC TV project, implemented in close cooperation with the IOC Olympic Channel.

Thomas Bach:

– The Russians may be proud of the achievements of recent weeks. The 2018 FIFA World Cup was very successful. The world witnessed how welcoming Russia is and how kindhearted the Russians are. The response from all the countries is highly positive. Sport once again showed that it can serve the cause of friendship and mutual understanding between the nations.

We discussed the future cooperation with the ROC management. We were informed of a number of projects including the establishment of the Olympic museum in Moscow. We look forward for this impressive project, aimed at stimulating the Olympic sports, to turn into reality.

We also found out about the ROC TV’s ambitious project in cooperation with the IOC TV channel. I believe that it can help to promote the Olympic sports in everyday life and to increase the popularity of athletes. It is nice to see that the new ROC’s management are looking to the future and committed to the implementation of such promising projects.

Stanislav Pozdnyakov:

– I regard the visit of the IOC President Mr. Thomas Bach as a very important event. We were able to discuss the most important and relevant issues which appear on the agenda of both the relationships between the ROC and the IOC and the participation of Russia in the international Olympic Movement in general. In particular, it relates to the issue of the RUSADA reinstatement. We also talked about the regional cooperation, the liaison with the neighboring NOCs and the ROC’s participation in the Olympic Solidarity programs. It was my first personal communication as the President of the ROC with Mr. Bach. I am sure that our cooperation will be of purely constructive nature. The meeting today confirmed it.