Today, the annual Olympic Assembly was held at the ROC, attended by 227 representatives of all-Russian sports federations, regional Olympic councils, Olympic academies, and other ROC member organizations, as well as renowned coaches and athletes.
The event was held in a hybrid format. Some delegates attended in person, while others participated online, voting via the Zoom system.
Before the Assembly began, all participants observed a moment of silence in memory of outstanding Olympic athletes and coaches who passed away during the year.
2021 was a year of both painful losses and joyful moments, the most significant of which were at the Tokyo Olympics, where the ROC Team athletes won 71 medals, including 20 golds. Participants of the Olympic Assembly had the opportunity to relive these memorable and highly emotional moments of Russian sporting triumph by watching a special video dedicated to the Tokyo Games.
Next, ROC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov presented a special award from the International Olympic Committee for outstanding contributions to the Olympic Movement to Tatyana Nikolaevna Pokrovskaya. The Honored Coach of Russia, who trained 27 Olympic champions in synchronized swimming—a world record—was greeted with a standing ovation.
The first item on the agenda was a report by the Director of Sport and Head of the Main Department for Ensuring Participation in Olympic Sporting Events of the ROC, Andrey Konokotin, on the implementation of the “Program to Support the Preparation of Russian Athlete-Candidates for Membership in the Olympic Team of Russia and to Ensure the Participation of the Russian Olympic Delegation in the XXXII Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.” He outlined the activities carried out under the “Tokyo-2020” Program and summarized the results of the ROC Team’s performance in Japan.
The heads of the All-Russian Sports Federations participating in the discussion emphasized the role of the ROC in providing the necessary conditions for athlete preparation for the 2020 Olympic Games, which were held under unusual and extremely challenging circumstances.
- For several years, we have had the opportunity to hold sporting events in Vladivostok—in a climate and time zone similar to Tokyo. This allowed us to test all adaptation mechanisms and ultimately achieve good results. I want to thank the Russian Olympic Committee for its assistance and support in all matters,” said Vladimir Salnikov, President of the All-Russian Swimming Federation. “The atmosphere at the Tokyo Games was truly challenging, and the need to remain in isolation did not allow us to fully enjoy the competitions. But the ROC’s operational headquarters fulfilled its tasks exceptionally well under these conditions. In particular, the issue of transportation for coaches living outside the Olympic Village was resolved.
Executive Director and Secretary General of the Russian Basketball Federation, Natalya Galkina, expressed gratitude to the ROC for acquiring specialized equipment critically needed for basketball 3x3, which made its Olympic debut. Russian athletes won two silver medals in this young discipline in Tokyo.
All our requests and applications received the fastest possible response. The Russian Olympic Committee, in particular, funded the purchase of courts that our teams still train on today. This was especially important since basketball 3x3 is a new sport, and no federal base currently has such equipment,” Natalya Galkina said. “Additionally, during the qualification period, the ROC helped organize events that allowed us to earn ranking points and qualify directly for the Olympic Games.
The Olympic Assembly, following the discussion of the first agenda item, noted the following:
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The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) engaged in constructive and productive cooperation with Russian and international organizations, including federal and regional executive authorities in the fields of physical culture, sports, and sports medicine; all-Russian sports federations; RAA RUSADA; other public physical culture and sports organizations; the IOC; the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee; and other representatives of civil society. This cooperation contributed to the steady development of professional relations in addressing the preparation and participation of Russian athletes as candidates for the Russian Olympic Team at the Olympic Games.
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Under the restrictions and prohibitions in Russia and worldwide, effective from late 2019 and continuing to the present due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ROC promptly made decisions to meet all requests from its members, including all-Russian sports federations (OSFs), and ensured uninterrupted financing within the framework of the “Tokyo-2020” Program. This allowed the ROC to quickly adjust its operations in response to the postponement of the XXXII Olympic Games to summer 2021 and the introduction of strict anti-COVID requirements and regulations, make amendments to the “Tokyo-2020” Program, provide increased funding, and fulfill all obligations to OSFs, partners, and contractors for participation in the Games.
The Olympic Assembly approved the report on the results of the “Tokyo-2020” Program and gave a positive assessment of the ROC’s work over the five-year period in implementing the Program’s activities.
The Executive Committee of the ROC, the Bureau of the Executive Committee, and the ROC apparatus have been tasked with developing a Program to support the preparation of Russian athletes as candidates for the Russian Olympic Team and to ensure the participation of the Russian Olympic delegation at the XXXIII Olympic Games in Paris, France, as well as the development of sports included in the Olympic program.
Special attention should be paid to establishing adjusted target performance indicators, including taking into account the ongoing complex epidemiological situation in the world related to the spread of the novel coronavirus, implementing innovative scientific and methodological approaches in the preparation system for Russian athletes as candidates for the Olympic team, as well as the possibility of year-round testing of athlete performance at the ROC Innovation Center, including at the sites of its separate branches in Kislovodsk and Sochi, and to the further implementation of measures to increase the efficiency of all-Russian sports federations, including financing the salaries of Russian specialists performing administrative and managerial functions in the OSFs, and continuing financial and organizational support to protect the rights and interests of Russian athletes in the international sports arena and prevent discrimination based on nationality.
The Olympic Assembly recommended that the OSFs analyze the results of the Tokyo Games at the meetings of their governing bodies in order to make appropriate adjustments to the comprehensive target programs.
The delegates then proceeded to discuss the preparation of the Russian Olympic Team for the XXIV Winter Olympic Games. In his speech, Andrey Konokotin provided up-to-date information on how logistical issues will be managed in Beijing and outlined the restrictions that participants in the 2022 Games will face due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Our athletes are already facing difficulties. In particular, with traveling to qualifying competitions in North America.
In our sport, almost 60 percent of international events are held in the USA and Canada. And now we are facing a problem with visa arrangements, said Alexey Kurashov, President of the Freestyle Federation of Russia. If it were not for the support of the ROC and our appeals to the IOC and FIS, we would not have been able to send athletes to the competitions. In the end, we obtained American visas in Bishkek and Yerevan. Another difficulty is that Canada and the USA do not admit citizens vaccinated with preparations not approved by the WHO. We decided to fight for our rights to the end. Just yesterday, we sent a joint appeal with the ROC to the IOC. We are raising the issue of removing the qualifying status from these competitions because athletes found themselves in unequal conditions.
Viktor Maigurov, President of the Russian Biathlon Union, in turn, thanked the ROC for supporting the implementation of two projects at once.
The coach qualification improvement project is not directly related to the Games in Beijing, but I am confident that the knowledge our regional specialists received during the ROC-organized seminars at the RIOU will be in demand and used in the future, emphasized the head of the RBU. Currently, together with the ROC Innovation Center, we are implementing a program for ski testing. It will take place in several stages – in Siberia, in the Far East, and directly in Beijing. The quality of preparation and ski glide is one of the most important aspects of our sport.
Having heard all reports and speeches, the Olympic Assembly decided:
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To coordinate joint efforts and decisions on key issues related to the preparation and participation of athletes in the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, the ROC should continue implementing the “Beijing-2022” Program, paying special attention to the directives, decisions, and recommendations within the existing three-tier system of Olympic preparation management
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To continue interaction with the Organizing Committee for the preparation of Russian athletes for the Olympic and Paralympic Games; with the Headquarters for monitoring the preparation of Russian national teams for participation in the Olympic Games; and with the Expert Council on controlling the implementation of target comprehensive programs for preparing Russian national teams for the Olympic Games
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Together with Rosaviatsiya and the Ministry of Transport of Russia, to work out the organization of flights for transporting the Olympic delegation, taking into account the need to organize departures from Moscow, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, and Khabarovsk
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Together with the winter Olympic sports federations, to finalize the schedules for the final stage of preparation for the XXIV Winter Olympic Games and to promptly inform the FMBA of Russia of all changes
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To ensure interaction with the FMBA of Russia regarding PCR testing of members of the Russian Olympic delegation in accordance with the requirements of the Organizing Committee of the XXIV Winter Olympic Games
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To finalize the issue of approving the “competition” equipment with the IOC
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To issue a recommendation to regional Olympic councils on creating optimal conditions for preparing candidates for the ROC Team for participation in the XXIV Winter Olympic Games
After the official agenda of the Olympic Assembly was concluded, Stanislav Pozdnyakov once again congratulated representatives of summer sports on their successful performance in Tokyo and wished the winter sports athletes success in completing the qualification period and then achieving maximum results in Beijing.
A little later, after speaking with journalists, the President of the ROC visited the stand set up in the foyer, dedicated to the upcoming VII Summer and II Winter International Sports Games "Children of Asia." They are scheduled to take place in 2022 in Vladivostok and in 2023 in the Kemerovo region.
Stanislav Pozdnyakov discussed the progress of the preparations for the competitions with the President of the International Committee "Children of Asia," Vladimir Maksimov, the organization's Vice President Marat Bariev, the Secretary General Sherzod Asatullaev, and the Minister of Physical Culture and Sports of Kuzbass, Sergey Myaus.
The ROC head emphasized that these multi-sport forums will allow young athletes to experience the Olympic atmosphere and gain international competitive experience, as well as contribute to the development of sports infrastructure in the Russian Far East. In this regard, Stanislav Pozdnyakov noted that it was in Sheregesh, located in the Kemerovo region, that he first skied.
It should be noted that the International Games "Children of Asia" are held under the patronage of the Russian Olympic Committee, the IOC, and UNESCO. The competitions are open to athletes under the age of 16.
