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≡ THE BIG PICTURE ≡
In what has been characterized as a surprise, Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov – a four-time Olympic gold medalist in fencing – announced his resignation as of December, after an election to replace him is held.
The ROC Executive Committee is scheduled to meet on 7 November and could approve his suggestion at that time, ahead of the ROC’s general meeting in December. Pozdnyakov said in an ROC-released statement:
“I am confident that during its next session on November 7, the ROC Executive Board will uphold my proposal and set a new date for the [Russian] Olympic Convention in order to elect a new executive committee for the Russian Olympic Committee.
“Geopolitical challenges that our country faces today dictate the need to optimize and centralize the management of key spheres of activities, which include high performance sports.”
Pozdnyakov is only 51, and was in the middle of his second term as the head of the ROC, first elected in 2018. He explained in his statement:
“The government’s role today is more important than ever: to ensure the most effective results with appropriate financial support, creating and holding new formats of high-level competitions, as well as forming quality conditions for training future generations of strong, competitive athletes.
“In order to further strengthen the Olympic Movement in Russia, timely preconditions emerged, including economic ones, to elect a new [ROC] leader and reshuffle the [executive] team.”
An important second to his comments came from Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Chernyshenko, who served as the head of the Sochi organizing committee for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games:
“Today, global changes are taking place in world sports, which require strategic decisions from us. President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has instructed us to strengthen the sovereignty of national sports. It is necessary to strengthen the vertical management of the sports industry, consolidate the aspirations and resources of all levels of government, corporations, businesses, and public organizations.
“I thank Stanislav Alekseevich Pozdnyakov, our famous Olympic champion, for his work. For many years, he effectively led the Olympic team, representing Russia’s interests in the Olympic movement, which is currently going through hard times.”
Vladimir Salnikov, the four-time Olympic swimming gold medalist, and now the head of the Russian swimming federation, told the Russian news agency TASS:
“It is impossible not to agree with the opinion of the President of the Russian Olympic Committee Stanislav Pozdnyakov that the country is currently facing colossal geopolitical challenges that really dictate the need for optimization and centralization. …
“Of course, this will require significant efforts. I am sure that the new elected president will strive to implement these tasks. Olympic values have not lost their relevance, despite the fact that they have become a tool of manipulation in the hands of some players. However, I believe that all our efforts should be aimed at returning Russian athletes to the international arena and uniting all the forces of the country to achieve this goal.”
Observed: Have no doubt, this is all part of a planned action, coordinated by the Russian government. The emphasis on the government’s role from Pozdkyakov, “vertical management” from Chernyshenko and “optimization and centralization” from Salnikov are nicely transparent.
Pozdkyakov was an outspoken critic of the International Olympic Committee and President Thomas Bach (GER). Now, a new IOC President will be elected in March and the Russian government is now re-arranging their officer roster to deal with the new situation.
Russia’s least favorite candidate in the IOC Presidential race is clearly World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR), who has kept Russia out of athletics altogether, due to horrific doping issues as well as the invasion of Ukraine. The Russians would prefer to see someone more amenable to Russian participation at some level, such as cycling’s David Lappartient (FRA), gymnastics chief Morinari Watanabe (JPN) or IOC veteran Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., of Spain.
But its reach is limited, and with Pozdnyakov still in charge, would be close to zero. Whoever the Russian Olympic Committee selects in December will be a clue to who it favors in the IOC Presidential election in March.
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