Russia is not short of money. Neither does its Olympic committee. Alexander Zhukov (our photo), its president, who joined the IOC in 2013 (and member of the Duma between 1994 and 2004), explained this on Wednesday October 21 in Moscow, on the occasion of the first Forum of the World Association of Olympians: The Russian Olympic Committee is today the country's leading public sports organization. It brings together 178 federations, Olympic or not, and lists 75 regional Olympic committees. A juggernaut, on which Vladimir Putin takes a more than benevolent look. The Russian president attended the inauguration of the Olympians Forum on Wednesday, at the heart of a day where a meeting with Bashar Al-Assad was at the top of his agenda.
There is no shortage of money, therefore. Neither do ideas. Invited to speak to the assembly of Olympians, in the vast hall of the Ritz-Carlton in Moscow, Alexander Zhukov detailed in detail the “innovations” of a Russian Olympic movement that is much more imaginative than it seems. . An impressive series of national programs that the Olympic committee is leading. Here is the menu.
- Olympic Legends. Russia does not forget its elders. A merry battalion of great names from the past, all aged over 65, travel the country with the manner of rock stars. There are around thirty of them, all Olympians, invited to take turns to meet young people, attend shows, set an example and distill the values of sport.
- The Olympic Patrol. Every year, it takes around a hundred Olympians, past or present, for a journey to the country's schools. The idea: encourage children to take up sport, talk to them about the Games, walk the talk by giving them lessons. In 2015, more than 90.000 schoolchildren were educated in Olympic passion, through a thousand hours of lessons.
- Olympic Innovation. The most connected program of the lot. At the initiative of the Russian Olympic Committee, users of the Moscow metro are invited to exercise. A one-way ticket is offered to those able to do around thirty leg bends without fainting. There were more than 10 of them this year who traveled like this after sweating on a machine. A series of videos from the project was posted on YouTube. It has more than 000 million views.
- The Olympic Committee Research Center. It was opened in spring 2014, with the ambition to capitalize on the momentum and results of the Sochi Winter Games. Its traveling laboratories travel around the country, 12 months a year, to meet athletes and national teams in training courses or in competition.
- Olympic Day. Not really a Russian invention, the operation is now global. But the Russians gave it a very… Russian dimension. In 2015, more than 2 million people participated. The national Olympic committee asked around sixty of its medalists at the Games to train the general public. As a bonus, a Winter Olympic day has been added to the program this year.
- Walking Day. Once again, the program leaves you speechless as to its excess. On October 3, 2015, a national march began at 11 a.m. sharp, in 11 cities across the country, each representing one of the 11 time zones that divide Russia. Participants were asked to walk 2 km. The Olympians set the example and led the procession. Results: 200.000 walkers. And a billion steps counted. “We were hoping for half that,” admits Alexander Zhukov. Not bad.
