The participants of the annual Olympic Assembly, held on December 15 at the ROC building on Luzhnetskaya Embankment, positively evaluated the activities of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in 2023.
At the meeting of the ROC’s highest body, 260 delegates from national sports federations, Olympic councils and academies, executive authorities, and physical culture and sports organizations were present. Among them were prominent athletes and coaches, both active and honorary members of the IOC.
After hearing and discussing the report by ROC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov, the delegates gave a positive assessment of the work of the governing bodies and the ROC apparatus. They noted the successful execution of their functions, which contributed to the development of Olympic sports and the stable functioning of ROC members.
The Olympic Assembly expressed gratitude to the ROC Innovation Center for its scientific and methodological support of athlete preparation and to the Russian International Olympic University for its help in implementing educational programs aimed at training specialists in sports and the Olympic movement.
The Assembly recommended that national sports federations, regional Olympic councils, and physical culture and sports organizations continue to actively participate in the implementation of the key directions of the ROC Strategy.
As part of the event, the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation, Oleg Matytsin, presented anniversary medals dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the state authority for physical culture and sports management. The recipients included the Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, First Vice President of the ROC, Igor Levitin; the President of the ROC, Stanislav Pozdnyakov; Honorary Presidents of the ROC, Vitaly Smirnov and Leonid Tyagachev; Vice Presidents of the ROC, Vladimir Kozhin, Vasily Titov, Sergey Shishkarev; the General Director of the ROC, Vladimir Sengleev; the General Secretary of the ROC, Rodion Plitukhin; and the Director of Sports, Andrei Konokotin, for their contributions to the development of the sports movement in Russia.
The Honorary Diploma of the President of the Russian Federation was awarded to the head of the Legal Department of the ROC, Alexandra Brilliantova.
"On behalf of the Ministry of Sports and myself, I would like to thank the Russian Olympic Committee and all our colleagues for our joint work. It has been a challenging year, but we remained a united team. This is the most important thing. Despite all the difficulties, we continue working on solving the tasks set by the President of Russia in the field of physical culture and sports," said Oleg Matytsin.
Honorary President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), Vitaly Smirnov, announced the completion of the documentary series “Games and People”, dedicated to the Olympic history of Russia. The 12-episode film, which covers the major victories of Soviet and Russian sports, is now available for viewing on an online streaming platform.
Vladimir Kozhin, ROC Vice President, shared that in February next year, a national Winter Olympic Sports Spartakiad will take place in Sochi, dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the XXII Olympic Winter Games.
Prior to the Olympic Assembly, the ROC Executive Committee held a routine meeting, during which the financial plan for the organization for 2024 was approved. A decision was also made to award a large group of representatives from the sports industry with the ROC Honorary Badge "For Merits in the Development of the Olympic Movement in Russia."
Following the Olympic Assembly, ROC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov answered questions from journalists.
- Together with the all-Russian sports federations, Olympic councils, and academies, we discussed the results of the outgoing year and our plans for the future. The most important outcome of 2023 is that the Russian Olympic Committee remains a full-fledged organization, trusted by our members and partners. We are moving forward together, building plans, and shaping the current agenda.
This year, the ROC’s international activities were based on bilateral cooperation with foreign NOCs and sports organizations that respect and follow the Olympic Charter. Of course, it cannot be said that the current situation has had no impact on us. However, we look to the future with confidence.
I also assessed the actions of the IOC, which, through its non-constructive stance toward the ROC and Russian sports, continues to divide the Olympic family, threatening its unity. We urge our colleagues in Lausanne to revoke their own recommendations, fully restore the ROC’s rights, and return to the path envisioned by the founder of the modern Olympic movement, Baron Pierre de Coubertin — to use the peaceful and constructive mission of sport to make our imperfect world a better place.
