Pavel Kolobkov: Global sport is experiencing a confidence crisis
The ‘Sport – A Space for Trust’ session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was opened by Russian Minister of Sport Pavel Kolobkov. He stressed that doping, security, aggressive fan behaviour, and the manipulation of sports results pose problems for world sports.
“Global sport is experiencing a confidence crisis – people are trying to paint the sports industry in a negative light, while the citizens – both ours and in other countries – are being pummelled with a stream of negative information as well as false or real accusations, all of which undermines the trust in sports, both among the audience and business. Getting this trust back takes a long time and largely depends on the development of common rules and approaches for everyone”, Kolobkov said. He also noted that the problems of world sports and ways to solve them will be the main theme of a conference of UNESCO sports ministers in Kazan in July.
President of the Russian Olympic Committee and member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Alexander Zhukov said that attempts to make political weapons out of sport are a crime. “We are actively working on and are committed to the integrity of the Olympic movement and the observance of Olympic ideals. But the constant pressure on the IOC as well as calls for boycotts and the disqualification of teams is an extremely dangerous thing. All this could lead to a schism in the IOC, which could put world sports in a gridlock. I am pleased that the international Olympic movement does not allow for such ill-conceived decisions”, Zhukov said.
Three-time Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling and State Duma Deputy Alexander Karelin said new training centres for Russian national teams created under a federal target programme may serve as grounds for building confidence in Russian sport. “Our bases are open to all countries, and joint training will show our respected competitors that the secret to the glorious history of Russian sport lies in diligence, discipline, and modern infrastructure. As for wrestling, Americans regularly come to Krasnoyarsk, while the Japanese come to Lake Krugloye”, Karelin said.
First Vice-President of the International Gymnastics Federation and First Deputy President and Chairman of the Board of VTB Bank Vasily Titov underscored the importance of strengthening the positions of Russian sports in international organizations. “We must propose rules that meet the challenges of the time, and we need to establish positions in international federations so that we can be heard”, Titov said.
The session included the signing of a memorandum on holding the 2019 Euroleague Basketball Final Four in Moscow at the VTB Arena-Dinamo Central Stadium sports complex. The memorandum was signed by Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu and VTB Arena Park Project Manager Andrey Peregudov.
The session was also attended by Deputy Head of the Federal Biomedical Agency Yulia Miroshnikova, Chess World Vice Champion Sergey Karjakin, and Rio 2017 Organizing Committee Commercial Director Jordi Bertomeu.
