Speakers of the Expert Institute for Social Research (EISI) on Thursday, February 3, discussed the development of Russian sports on the eve of the official opening of the Winter Olympic Games (OI) in Beijing.
Mikhail Mamonov, head of the VTsIOM political analysis and consulting practice, shared the results of a sociological survey of Russians conducted on the eve of the Olympics.
He noted that the researchers recorded a high level of awareness of Russians about the upcoming Olympic Games. The most interested category is the respondents of pre-retirement and retirement age. According to sociologists, 66% of the polled compatriots will follow the competitions, Mamonov added.
According to the Deputy Minister of Health of the Russian Federation Oleg Salagay, speaking about sports, it is necessary first of all to talk about maintaining health. He noted that federal projects were approved in Russia to increase the number of people involved in sports.
“The implementation of the envisaged measures has made it possible to achieve quite serious results in recent years. In 2015, about 31% of people systematically went in for sports, and in 2020 – already about 45%, ”the press service of the EISI quotes the expert as saying.
As noted by a professional athlete and State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova, it is necessary to mentally distinguish between elite sports and mass sports, but understand that these areas are interconnected with each other.
“State programs aimed at the development of mass sports provide a solid foundation for the development of elite sports. Without the development of elite sports, there will be no example for our children who dream of becoming professional athletes,” she explained.
Mikhail Terentyev, Deputy Chairman of the RF State Duma Committee on Labour, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs, agreed with her position. He stated the importance of separating sport from politics.
“Sport gives people from different countries a valuable opportunity to communicate with each other. In addition, the Olympic and Paralympic Games give every person valuable opportunities – to be included in the life of society, to seek their goal, to be involved in various social processes. All this is important for the development of not only Russia, but also the world community,” he said.
In turn, the head of the ONF Youth, Igor Kastyukevich, said that there has always been politics in big-time sports, because “everyone wants to see how the halls rise to the anthem of his country.”
“All this testifies to patriotism. Yes, we love to win. Yes, we don’t like to lose. All this is patriotism, and we strive to educate it, ”he explained.
Dmitry Smith, President of the Russian Computer Sports Federation, spoke about the development of e-sports in the country.
“Russia was the first country in the world to recognize eSports as a sport back in 2001. Then, in our image and likeness, eSports federations were created in other countries. Now Russia occupies a leading position in terms of organizing e-sports events, and Russian e-sportsmen occupy leadership positions in competitions,” the expert stated.
On February 2, the Olympic torch relay started in Beijing. As noted in the organizing committee, amphibious robots and underwater robots will participate in the transfer of the Olympic torch. At the same time, the relay race itself was decided to be reduced to three days due to the epidemiological situation.
212 Russian athletes are going to Beijing. The final team included 212 athletes, including 103 women and 109 men.
The Olympics will be held February 4-20, the Paralympics – March 4-13. The upcoming Games will be held in three clusters at once – in Beijing (hockey, figure skating, speed skating, curling), Zhangjiakou (biathlon, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping) and Yanqing (alpine skiing, bobsleigh, skeleton and luge).
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
