Things do not drag on in Russia. They can even move very quickly, in the sports movement, as long as they involve the decision or approval of the Kremlin.
Just two days later former fencer Stanislav Pozdnyakov announces his decision to resign from his mandate as president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) by December at the latest, a name has already been pulled out of the hat to replace him. He is not unknown.
The identity of the possible, or even probable, future president of the ROC speaks volumes about the Kremlin's desire to take matters into its own hands and accelerate Russia's return to the international Olympic movement. The first name relayed by the media is in fact that of the current Minister of Sports, Mikhail Degtyarev (photo below).
According to the official version, reported by the no less official agency TASS, the idea is said to have come from Shamil Tarpishchev, the president of the Russian Tennis Federation, who has also been a member of the IOC for thirty years (he is one of the ten oldest). The Russian leader took advantage of a meeting of the Presidential Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports, organized in Ufa as part of a conference entitled " Russia, the country of sport ", to slip in the name of Mikhail Degtyarev as the ideal candidate to succeed Stanislav Pozdnyakov.
« The time has come to consolidate efforts in sports activities, Shamil Tarpishchev was quoted as saying by TASS. It has become urgent to consider the possibility of our Minister Degtyaryev running for the post of President of the National Olympic Committee. If all powers are in the same hands, this could allow us to work more effectively for the good of our Motherland. ».
A detail that is anything but anecdotal: Vladimir Putin was present at the meeting organized this week in Ufa. The Russian president seemed to appreciate the idea. "The proposal indeed deserves to be examined with the greatest attention, he is said to have suggested, addressing Shamil Tarpishchev and the members of the Council. We need to think about it. You are right. Under current conditions, it can be justified."
Still according to the agency TASS, Vladimir Putin would have gone further. He would have already drawn up in precise outline the roadmap of the future strongman of the Russian Olympic movement. "The activities of the Russian Olympic Committee must be adjusted, insisted the head of state . Despite all the known problems, it is important to increase efforts in the field of international cooperation, to work with all interested partners, to conduct creative, meaningful and educational work to promote the universal values of sport, especially among young people." In short, renew dialogue with the IOC and the international sports movement. And this, as quickly as possible.
A former member of the Duma (2011 to 2020), governor of the Khabarovsk Krai territory in eastern Russia, Mikhail Degtyarev has a much more political profile than the future ex-president of the ROC, Stanislav Pozdnyakov. He was appointed Minister of Sports last May, replacing Oleg Matytsin, the former president of the International University Sports Federation (FISU). He is 43 years old.
His name is the first to be mentioned to take the helm of the ROC. But in a country where the autonomy of the Olympic movement vis-à-vis the political authorities is often relative, he could well be the only one. It is difficult, in fact, to imagine another candidate coming forward in the days or weeks to come, after the very favorable response made by Vladimir Putin to Shamil Tarpishchev's proposal.
The Minister of Sports does not seem to want to wait to change hats to define his priorities. "Returning to the Olympic movement in accordance with the contributions of Russian and Soviet sport, and restoring the rights of our athletes, this is the policy to which we will adhere, he explained this week. There is every reason to say that we are ready to engage in dialogue, including informally, with the IOC members. We must maintain dialogue without insulting each other or shaking our fists. ».
