World sport has long been involved in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences. In Russia, the sports community also does not lag behind. Organizations, athletes and fans make a feasible contribution to the common cause, trying to prevent the rapid spread of a new infection in the country and make life easier for those whom it has affected.
The Boxing Federation of Russia (FBI) has taken its own initiative. She launched the operational headquarters for the fight against coronavirus, which began work on March 31 immediately in all regions. The organization said they intend to provide assistance to Russian athletes, coaches, referees and sports veterans. At the same time, they are not going to limit themselves only to the sports community in the federation - everyone can contact the headquarters via hotline, including veterans of the Great Patriotic War and large families.
“Many athletes will go to the Olympic Games next year, and they need to take care of their health and keep fit like no other. Now the only effective way to combat the spread of the coronavirus epidemic is self-isolation, so many athletes will need help in buying food, water, and disinfectants. And the Boxing Federation of Russia will try to help all athletes, regardless of sport. It is our duty, only together we can overcome these difficulties! ” - said FBI Secretary General Umar Kremlev.
The headquarters intends to pay special attention to assistance in maintaining self-isolation, which is completely difficult for many socially vulnerable segments of the population to observe. Volunteers of the operational headquarters will deliver disposable masks and hand sanitizers, as well as assist with the delivery of products and provide psychological assistance.
“Every day, the number of patients with coronavirus is increasing, so today is the time when the whole sports community needs to unite, rally and lend a helping hand to all their colleagues, all athletes who find themselves in isolation, as well as those people who cannot take care of to yourself in full measure, protecting them as much as possible from possible virus carriers, and try to make their self-isolation more comfortable and safe, ”says Kremlev.
The initiative of the Boxing Federation of Russia was approved by the Ministry of Sports - the department not only supported the initiative, but also called on all concerned to provide all possible assistance to those who need it in the midst of a pandemic.
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Publication from Boxing Federation of Russia (@russianboxingfederation) Mar 30, 2020 at 10:56 PDT
On the first day of its work, more than 200 people called the FBI hotline, told RT at the operations headquarters. In addition to those who applied for assistance, there were many who wanted to sign up as a volunteer.
“We had a very active first day of the hotline. We accepted 235 applications from various regions of Russia, most of them for masks and antiseptics, several for the delivery of food and medicine, and the rest of the applications came from volunteers who wanted to join our movement both in Moscow and in the regions. Mostly they called from Moscow and the region, followed by St. Petersburg in popularity, from one to five applications from other cities. In total, about 200 volunteers are involved in the project, ”said Valeria Trabukki, head of the FBI operations headquarters and help line.
She noted that the boxers of the Russian national team should also be among the volunteers when they end the quarantine period after the Olympic qualifying tournament held in the UK.
“The members of the national team recently returned from London, and now they had to spend 14 days in self-isolation. After that, if possible, they will also help with the delivery. Boxers from the regional federations are also with us, they supported our initiative. We will redirect them the requests received in the regions. There have already been appeals from athletes and sports veterans. Not only those associated with boxing called, but also with other sports. One grandmother found out about us from Instagram, it was nice to get her feedback. I want to draw attention to the fact that all the callers know what self-isolation is and always ask about contactless delivery, whether it is necessary to take it from hand to hand, ”said Trabukki.
The football players of Dynamo Moscow did not stand aside from pressing problems. They assisted a hospital in Kommunarka, which brought coronavirus-infected people from all over the capital. Players did not publicly report on their actions, but this became known after the head physician of the hospital, Denis Protsenko, sent a letter of thanks to the team.
It turned out that the players at their own expense equipped an additional gateway on two floors of the hospital, as well as purchased equipment for recreation for health workers. In the future, the club also intends to help the Sklifosovsky Research Institute.
“From the very beginning, when the epidemic began to spread, we turned to the established headquarters for the fight against coronavirus with the question of how we can help. The idea was actively supported by the players of our team who donated funds to purchase the necessary goods. This is their civic position. In this matter, the club management and the team showed full solidarity. Everyone took part voluntarily, raised a significant amount, ”the Dynamo CEO Yuri Belkin told RIA Novosti.