“I have already mentioned the importance of technical, scientific and medical support for the athletes. All the recent advances should be applied here, while keeping in mind that honest competition and drug use are incompatible. In Vancouver, the Russian team gave us no cause to doubt its strict adherence to this rule. Let's keep it that way going forward.”
“There is another important point I would like to make. After our unimpressive showing in Vancouver, I've heard people say that we will prepare for the Sochi Olympics, but being a top medal winner should not be a priority; a good showing is good enough. I do not share this view. One does not compete at this level to sweat; one competes to win. Millions of fans in Russia expect our team to win. In Sochi, our team must be among the leaders.”
“Russia's regions must also have a greater role in training our Olympic reserve team. Fifty regions have already adopted their own sports programmes; others must follow suit as soon as possible. It is usually grassroots sports that pave the way for serious achievements.”
“In 2009, about 200 government-funded sports facilities were opened. We need to continue to improve our sports infrastructure at all levels, from community sports fields to major stadiums. We need cutting-edge training facilities for athletes in all sports without exception. Let me repeat that - all sports without exception, including the new categories.”
“We need to revise the payment system for coaches and specialists working with our national team. We have created a fund with the help of major companies that will provide substantial funds to support our leading national athletes and specialists. We will need to keep an eye on how it works and where the money goes. Ideally, every leading athlete should be paid a substantial monthly allowance. Let me repeat that: every leading athlete. We need to make sure that this is being done. We may also create a special system for awarding government grants.”
“Additional steps need to be taken to train coaches and to choose and foster new athletes. We have developed a policy that will provide financial incentives to our athletes, but it is more important to find promising athletes in the first place. Vancouver has shown us that we don't have enough internal competition in certain sport in Russia. We don't have strong benches, and in some cases we don't have a bench at all. We need to take all the best ideas from the Soviet training system and combine them with modern international methods.”
“Systemic problems we have managing elite sports. This may be the result of the limited authority of our sports federations. I would like to hear more about this today and for you to formulate the problem precisely. Or maybe they lack a sense of responsibility? The federations' work should be transparent and more open to the public, so that they can see who is responsible for what.”
“The Sports Ministry must do more than distribute funds. And once it distributes the funds, it must actively participate in programmes to prepare and train athletes and have a vote in key issues such as appointing coaches.”
“Of course I have to mention what's on everyone's mind: the performance of our national Olympic team in Vancouver. We certainly hoped for more. However, there is no reason lose heart or beat ourselves over the head about it, and it certainly gives us something to think about. We must review our performance, draw our conclusions and perhaps change the way we do things. The goal of this review is to fix our problems and do what's necessary to help our Olympic team train for and succeed at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.”
“"At present the «Krylia Sovetov» club is in a difficult financial situation, though it is one of the oldest in Russia and has never been eliminated from the Russian Premier League since its establishment. It has many traditions and fans, so we should do something to support the club.”
