Participants of the Olympic Assembly recognized the activities of the Russian Olympic Committee this year as satisfactory, approved amendments to the organization's Charter, and elected new leadership for the ROC, at least until 2028.
At the meeting of the highest governing body of the ROC, more than two hundred delegates from the All-Russian Sports Federations, Olympic councils, Olympic academies, executive authorities, and physical culture and sports organizations were present. Among them were well-known athletes and coaches, current and honorary members of the IOC.
The event began with a report by the Vice-President of the ROC and member of the Executive Committee, Vasily Titov, on the activities of the Russian Olympic Committee during the past year.
- During the reporting period, the ROC, in accordance with its Charter and Development Strategy, guided by the principles of the Olympic Charter of the IOC, carried out its activities in strict compliance with Russian Federation legislation and proper governance principles. The ROC conscientiously and responsibly performed its functions and duties in the development of the Russian Olympic movement and support for the members of the organization, primarily the All-Russian Sports Federations, using the accumulated experience and expert base. In collaboration with the All-Russian Sports Federations and all members of the large Olympic family of Russia, closely cooperating with government and public sports organizations, the ROC continues its daily activities in the interests of Russian sports and athletes.The report on the work of the ROC's Audit and Inspection Commission was delivered by its chairman, Valentin Khabirov.
The next item on the agenda of the Olympic Assembly was the election of the ROC President. Speaking before the delegates, Mikhail Degtyarev thanked all those who nominated his candidacy.
- Thank you for believing in me and in the president's team. I fully understand the responsibility that will be placed on me when the Olympic family supports me in these elections. I would like to express special gratitude to the previous presidents of the Russian Olympic Committee, Vitaly Smirnov, Leonid Tyagachev, Alexander Zhukov, and Stanislav Pozdnyakov for creating a solid Olympic foundation, serving Olympic ideals, and developing high-performance sports.Today, Russian sports are facing unprecedented external pressure. Thousands of our athletes are facing discrimination. The goal of these sanctions is obvious: not only to discriminate against our sports but also to provoke us into retaliatory actions, forcing us to slam the door shut. The result is predictable: Russia's return to the global sports arena after isolation over decades may be impossible – there will simply be no one left to compete at the high level to which our national sports have aspired for over 100 years.
To avoid this disastrous scenario, it is now especially important not to succumb to unnecessary emotions and to preserve any opportunity for our athletes to win medals at international competitions and bring them home to Russia. They do not renounce their Russian citizenship, and the world knows which country they represent and sympathizes with. We must not create additional barriers for them inside Russia.
Mikhail Degtyarev was supported by many respected members of the ROC.
Vitaly Smirnov, Honorary Member of the IOC, Honorary President of the ROC:
- The main problem today is that for the first time in history, the Russian Olympic Committee has lost recognition by the IOC. This means that the IOC has deprived our country of the right to compete under the national flag and anthem, halted funding through the TOP-10 program, which provides financial support to all national Olympic committees. In three months, a new IOC president will be elected. The new ROC president will face difficult negotiations. And from my experience, I know that the more authority a sports leader has, the more likely it is that he will be successful. When a Minister of Sports, who is a government official, is involved in the negotiations along with the President of the ROC, it is a serious indication that the set goals will be achieved.Shamil Tarpishchev, President of the Russian Tennis Federation, IOC member:
- The nomination of Mikhail Vladimirovich Degtyarev for the position of ROC President is justified. The effectiveness of decisions is based on four principles – experience, perspective, common sense, and multiple collaboration. Experience will provide the basis for understanding. Perspective defines opportunities and risks. Common sense will provide wisdom, ethics, and thinking for decision-making. Mikhail Vladimirovich Degtyarev fully possesses all of these qualities.Mikhail Mamiashvili, President of the Russian Wrestling Federation:
- One of the tasks set by the President of the Russian Federation is to maintain the autonomy of the Russian Olympic Committee and ensure that the ROC President’s activities fully comply with the Olympic Charter and the ROC Charter. From the report of the candidate for ROC President, it is clear that a very serious job has been done on the order of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. I propose giving Mikhail Vladimirovich Degtyarev the opportunity to continue the reforms already started as the President of the Russian Olympic Committee.197 out of 199 delegates (two abstained) voted in favor of Mikhail Degtyarev’s candidacy for the position of ROC President. No further comments are necessary!
In his new capacity, Mikhail Degtyarev discussed amendments and additions to the organization’s Charter, proposed the candidacy of former HC Amur General Director Roman Kramar for the position of ROC General Director, ROC representative Viktor Berezov for the position of General Secretary, and also presented a list of 7 Vice Presidents of the ROC and 29 members of the Executive Committee for approval by the Olympic Assembly.
The Olympic Assembly supported these proposals. As a result, the new Executive Committee of the organization includes ROC President Mikhail Degtyarev, General Director Roman Kramar, General Secretary Viktor Berezov, IOC members and honorary IOC members Shamil Tarpishchev, Alexander Popov, Vitaly Smirnov, Commission of Athletes’ representative Yuri Borzakovsky, and representatives from All-Russian Sports Federations: Evgeny Arkhipov, Oleg Belozerov, Natalia Gart, Nikolai Gulyaev, Alexander Dyukov, Dmitry Mazepin, Viktor Maigurov, Ilgar Mamedov, Mikhail Mamiashvili, Alexander Nikitin, Natalia Parshikova, Anatoly Pegov, Arkady Rotenberg, Dmitry Svishchev, Anton Sikharulidze, Gennady Timchenko, Vladislav Tretyak, Marat Filippov, Pyotr Fradkov, Sergey Tsoy, Stanislav Shevchenko, Sergey Shishkaryov.
The Vice Presidents of the ROC are Oleg Belozerov, Dmitry Mazepin, Alexander Nikitin, Gennady Timchenko, Arkady Rotenberg, Marat Filippov, and Pyotr Fradkov.
