A feasible super-task: why Gorshkov and Kogan, after re-election, need to think about creating a unique product

This week, the Olympic champion in ice dancing and the permanent president of the Russian Figure Skating Federation since 2010, Alexander Gorshkov, was re-elected for another four-year term.

Alexander Kogan, his closest associate, was also re-elected to the post of general director without alternative, and all comments on this matter were exclusively complimentary.

Indeed: what is the point of criticizing this or that candidate for something when there are no others? 

Gorshkov and Kogan were periodically criticized by journalists for the fact that getting some intelligible, and most importantly, timely comment on this or that hot issue from the leaders of the federation, sometimes became an unsolvable task, and one of the president’s common phrases “I hear about this for the first time, I can’t say anything has become a kind of meme.

On the other hand, Gorshkov, with his invariable restraint and calmness, was all the years of his leadership that very island of calmness and reliability, along the coast of which one can always hide from storms and adversity.

It was not for journalists - for coaches and athletes, and this is much more important.

He did not say too much, did not give out phrases for which he then had to blush, play up and dodge, and this is a big plus in modern times.

The main thing is that the sport invariably had a result.

And this, as you know, is the main indicator of the effectiveness of the leadership of any sports federation.

In this regard, a bunch of Gorshkov - Kogan can be called ideal.

How good and effective can this leadership tandem be in the next four years?

The question is open, and, in fact, there is no answer to it: the realities have changed too much.

In this regard, I recall the famous phrase from The Godfather, said by Michael Corleone to Mafia family adviser Tom Hagen: “You are a good consigliere, Tom, but you are not suitable for the role of wartime consigliere ...”

In fact, all leaders of Russian sports, without exception, now have to exist and prove their worth in very difficult conditions.

In part, Gorshkov himself said the same thing during the elections, emphasizing that the main topic now is the situation in which Russian sports find themselves, and he sees his main task in maintaining the level of Russian figure skating at the height at which he is.

But there is an interesting point.

Those steps to create new and, in some way, alternative competitions with good prize money, in order to warm up the motivation of athletes and coaches as much as possible, do not yet seem to be the merit of sports federations at all.

Rather, it is time to talk about a certain general scheme that should be adopted for execution.

Of course, one can credit the FFKKR with the intention to organize in the country a certain analogue of the world Grand Prix series - a series of starts that will be held in several stages in different cities and, as Kogan noted, not only the strongest skaters of our country, but perhaps skaters from other countries, if they so wish.

But in the same way, it can be noted that the scheme is not new, and even less revolutionary: that in figure skating one should urgently be puzzled by the creation of an internal and very powerful series of tournaments in all respects, it was said two years ago, when the world was covered by a pandemic.

And it's a pity, in fact, that the idea was not implemented even then.

The uniqueness of Russian figure skating is that this sport is much more self-sufficient than most others.

There is an unprecedented level of results, popularity, interest in television, but even this is not the main thing.

When a country has so many absolutely outstanding athletes and coaches, you can afford to take on the craziest projects.

Approximately in the same way as at one time the Olympic champion of Salt Lake City in pair skating Anton Sikharulidze set out to return Russian pair skating to the level where it was in not so old times.

It was for this purpose that an ice rink for Tamara Moskvina's school was built in St. Petersburg, and largely thanks to this, the country received European champions in 2020, and world champions in 2021.

One of such and not very real, at first glance, projects could well be the task of creating their own league in the country, akin to the American NHL and NBA. 

Sounds utopian?

But why not?

Both mentioned organizations do not actually participate in the Olympics (one-time experiments do not count), but it is impossible not to admit that on a global scale, the NHL is the best and most interesting hockey, and the NBA is the best basketball.

And, mind you, they are not eager to become part of the Olympic family, but the IOC is racking its brains on how to get athletes playing in these leagues for the Games. 

The most important task for all current Russian sports is, in fact, precisely this: to create a product that in the shortest possible time will be able to become a value not only within the country, but also on a global scale.

This is not the easiest, but perhaps the most realistic way to bring Russian sports back to the international arena.

Moreover, now is the time for such experiments: the sports leadership has virtually a free hand and there is no need to look back at what the international federations will say on this or that occasion.

In the end, we had already stood in the pose of begging for many years - there was no sense from this. 

The ability to implement such a plan, and not just go with the flow without conflict, will reflect the true strength of any sports leadership.