"Challenges don't scare me": head of the Russian Triathlon Federation Ivanov was elected president of ARAF

Pyotr Ivanov, candidate from the federations of the Sverdlovsk and Volgograd regions, became the President of the All-Russian Federation of Athletics (ARAF).

This decision was made at the reporting and election conference of the organization, held in Moscow on November 30.

He received 56 delegate votes out of 73.

Before the start of the voting, most of the participants were in favor of keeping it secret.

The conference was attended by the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Oleg Matytsin and an independent expert of the International Association of Athletics Federations (World Athletics) and former Deputy Director General of RUSADA Margarita Pakhnotskaya.

In addition to Ivanov, the 2000 Olympic champion in hurdles, Irina Privalova, sports manager Mikhail Gusev, director of the Russian athletics championships among students Andrei Shlyapnikov, and the head of the Moscow Athletics Federation (FLAM) Oleg Kurbatov were candidates for the post of president of the federation.

However, just before the vote, the last two candidates refused to participate in the elections in favor of Ivanov and Privalova, respectively.

Each of the candidates set himself different tasks in case of victory in the elections.

So, Shlyapnikov called the construction of new athletics arenas and stadiums as a primary goal, Privalova also focused on the development of sports within the country, and Gusev insisted on the need to select a well-coordinated team that could establish a transparent dialogue with World Athletics.

As for Ivanov, in his election program, he announced his intention to return the prestige that Russian athletics had lost.

“Athletics is the queen of sports.

We need to make sure that both within our country and in the international arena we have the opportunity to be proud not only of the great achievements of the past, but also of the work that we are doing today.

Complex challenges do not scare me, "Ivanov was quoted by TASS.

In addition, the functionary emphasized the need to create a board of trustees to solve financial problems and announced his intention to attract professionals to work in ARAF who have an idea of ​​how to get out of difficult situations.

After the elections, he expressed hope for continued cooperation with the rest of the candidates.

“I hope that you will vote for the workers' presidium and those people who will enter it and enjoy your confidence will be able to help in organizing work on the preparation of programs and measures that will take athletics to a new level both in the international arena and in Russia.

I really hope that Irina Privalova will agree to be the first vice-president, and I hope that you will elect her to the presidium, ”Ivanov said.

Currently, Ivanov is the head of the Russian Triathlon Federation and holds the post of CEO of the Russian Railways subsidiary High-Speed ​​Railways.

However, on the eve of the elections, he announced his intention to give up his first position in order to focus on activities in the ARAF.

His track record also includes work in the transport and banking sectors.

Ivanov's candidacy was supported by Stanislav Pozdnyakov, President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).

In his opinion, the functionary has ample opportunities to establish the work of ARAF, as well as extensive experience in cooperation with international organizations.

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) expressed hope for fruitful cooperation with the new leadership of the organization.

“The agency, for its part, will continue to help Russian athletes both in terms of educational events and in organizing doping tests.

It's no secret that the representatives of this sport are among the most tested.

This is done, in particular, so that athletes can apply for neutral status at the earliest opportunity, ”he said.

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Director General of RUSADA Mikhail Bukhanov.

The previous president of ARAF Yevgeny Yurchenko announced his resignation in July this year after four and a half months in office.

At that time, the organization faced a real threat of exclusion from the number of associations recognized by World Athletics, including due to a debt of $ 6.31 million in the case of the high jumper Danil Lysenko, which only the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation helped to pay.

In addition, the organization was constantly criticized by leading athletes such as Maria Lasitskene, Angelica Sidorova, Sergey Shubenkov, and others for inaction and unwillingness to protect them.

Considering the current situation in Russian athletics, special hopes are pinned on the new president.

First of all, he will need to regain the trust of World Athletics.

Recall that at the September meeting of the association, the plan to restore the ARAF was rejected and sent for revision, which, among other things, was associated with the absence of the organization's leadership.

On December 1 and 2, a conference will be held on the issue of neutral statuses to Russian athletes.

This process was suspended back in the fall of 2019 after the involvement of the previous leadership in the Lysenko case was confirmed.