“We are striving for global leadership”: Pozdnyakov was re-elected to the post of president of the ROC

In the ROC building on Luzhnetskaya Embankment on Tuesday, December 20, the Olympic Assembly was held, at which the election of the organization's president was held, and specialists were approved for other leadership positions.

Big intrigues were not expected that day, since the ten-time world champion in saber fencing Stanislav Pozdnyakov was the only candidate for the post of head of the ROC.

247 delegates voted for him.

And the participants recognized the results of the organization’s work from 2018 to 2022 as successful.

Vladimir Sengleev was re-elected as the Director General of the ROC, and Rodion Plitukhin, who previously worked as the head of the organization's apparatus, took the post of Secretary General.

He replaced Anastasia Davydova in this position.

Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation Igor Levitin remained the first vice-president of the ROC, Vladimir Kozhin, Gennady Timchenko, Vasily Titov were also re-elected vice-presidents.

They were joined by the head of the Russian Handball Federation Sergey Shishkarev: he, among other things, joined the executive committee of the organization.

As the head of the FGR explained, at the moment the ROC could use his knowledge and skills as a crisis manager.

“Remember how we qualified for the Rio Games, made our way through various restrictions of recent years, received a wild card for the men's World Cup 2021 - this shows that I can negotiate complex negotiations, convince even opponents and protect the interests of Russia.

And these are not just pathetic words in the current conditions.

I think that I can be most effective just in conducting international negotiations - experience, knowledge of foreign languages, work in a large logistics company, constant contacts with the outside world.

In summary, I agreed to run for ROC vice president not to lobby for the interests of handball, but to protect the interests of our entire sport.

And handball will also benefit from this, ”said Shishkarev.

Changes have also taken place in the commission of athletes of the ROC.

Instead of Sophia the Great, Yuri Borzakovsky, who is now also the sports director of the All-Russian Athletics Federation, became its chairman.

The two-time Olympic champion, after four years of work, decided to concentrate on her sports career and family.

As Borzakovsky joked, he intercepted the baton from Velikaya.

“We will continue to work fruitfully together with the leadership of the ROC for the benefit of our sport and the Olympic movement, we will try not to lower the bar in any case.

I am the most experienced member of the commission, I have been a member of it since 2004, I was already Sophia's deputy, she saw in me a candidate who was the most worthy among all the guys - according to the way my work was done within the commission.

There is a preliminary work plan, but it is too early to talk about it - we will refer to the current realities, ”said Borzakovsky.

In addition to the elections, the event, of course, touched upon the issue of the admission of Russians to the 2024 Games in Paris.

In February, the International Olympic Committee recommended the removal of domestic athletes from all international competitions, but French President Emmanuel Macron expressed a desire to see athletes from all countries at the main start of the four-year anniversary.

According to Pozdnyakov, the chances of qualifying for the tournament remain, a new recommendation from the IOC Executive Committee should be expected in the second half of January.

“My confidence is based on the declaration of the Olympic Summit held on December 9 in Lausanne.

It was attended by the heads of the IOC and international federations in Olympic sports, as well as the heads of the NOCs of a number of countries.

The declaration clearly stated: the summit supports the proposal of the Olympic Council of Asia to study the issue of the return of athletes from Russia and Belarus to the competition.

At least in Asian territory.

Referring to this document, I can most likely assume that our athletes will soon be able to take part in international competitions, including the Olympic selection,” said Pozdnyakov.

At the same time, according to the head of the ROC, for the admission of Russians, the qualification conditions for the 2024 Games may be changed.

To do this, the IOC has all the necessary powers.

“If I say that in Paris our team will perform in the same line-up as in Tokyo, it would be cunning.

Of course, the composition will become smaller, but at the Olympic Summit it was said: the Olympic family is a family that takes care of all athletes, regardless of their nationality.

Of course, the current situation is unique not only for Russia, but for the entire Olympic movement.

The pressure on us is due to the collective position of the political structures of Western countries, which, through restrictions or bans on entry for athletes, denials of various payments, decide whether a particular athlete can take part in competitions or not.

This is a direct violation of the Olympic Charter,” the official added.

At the same time, as Pozdnyakov noted, the ROC has a fallback option for the development of Olympic sports, if suddenly domestic athletes are still not allowed to qualify for the Olympic Games-2024.

“Otherwise, an alternative scenario will be implemented, which provides for the full participation of Russian athletes in the Olympic Games without restrictions no earlier than 2026.

In this regard, we have developed a program for the development of Olympic sports, aimed at creating a sports reserve and educating young people.

The goal is to train a new generation of athletes so that at the next Summer Games in Los Angeles after Paris, enter the top three in the overall standings, ”the head of the ROC assured.

However, according to Pozdnyakov, the Russian side held a large number of meetings at the General Assembly of National Olympic Committees and no one wants to further remove domestic athletes.

“Unfortunately, the foundations of the Olympic movement today are being dismantled under the guise of perestroika by Western colleagues and some of our compatriots.

Only the outcasts, pseudo-journalists want Russia to be canceled, and there are fewer and fewer radical voices.

I personally discussed the issue of return with the head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, and other heads of international sports federations.

There was never a hint of unwillingness to see Russian athletes.

We are doing everything to return our athletes to the international arena, ”said the head of the ROC.

Interestingly, the tasks of the committee, according to Pozdnyakov, today are not limited to the development of sports within the country.

“The ROC formulates its mission as follows: “By uniting the Russian Olympic sports community, developing and creating new opportunities, we strive for global leadership.”

We have everything necessary for joint fruitful work: powerful human potential, a team capable of solving the most serious tasks, material resources, trust and support from the country's leadership,” the president of the organization emphasized.

The Minister of Sports of Russia Oleg Matytsin also spoke at the Olympic meeting.

He called the achievements of athletes an important factor in the country's security.

“Thanks to the leaders of the federations for their work and common victories.

Preparations for the Olympic Games took place at a difficult time in the fight against coronavirus.

We can be proud of the victories of our athletes at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

This is an important contribution to, I'm not afraid of this word, ensuring the security of our country," Matytsin said.