On Saturday, August 20th, a press conference dedicated to the Spartakiad of the Strongest, which started ten days ago, was held at the Match TV press center.
It was attended by the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Oleg Matytsin, President of the Russian Handball Federation Sergey Shishkarev, Olympic champions Maria Kiseleva and Maksim Khramtsov, as well as the director of the Match TV Department of Development and Interaction with Sports Organizations Elena Rudakova.
Oleg Matytsin spoke about the goals of the All-Russian Spartakiad in summer sports: “The Spartakiad is relevant and timely. The first competitions in a number of sports have already ended, and this experience shows that the Spartakiad is confidently marching across the country. The event is organized by 12 Russian regions. I would like to thank the heads of the regions and the organizing committees for preparing and holding this competition. This is a review of our resources, the reserves for our teams, the level of development of sports in the country. Many regions are promoting basic sports, and this is the fulfillment of the criteria.”
“This is the first time that the Spartakiad has such a scale. In fact, it follows the Paris Olympics model. We plan to hold such events in both winter and summer sports in each year immediately following the year the Olympic Games are held. The goal is to review candidates for national teams for the new Olympic cycle. This approach has already been supported by sports federations. Now is a difficult period for Russian sports. Our task is to provide our athletes with opportunities to compete and with social guarantees. Based on the results, titles will be awarded to both athletes and coaches. Winners will receive bonus pay in the same amount as for winning world championships. The relevant document is being approved by the government,” Matytsin said at the press conference.
President of the Russian Handball Federation Sergey Shishkarev noted that no one sees the Spartakiad as some friendly or pre-season competition: “All fans, athletes, coaches, referees are longing for handball matches. Last season, the competitions ended at the end of May, and there has not been such a long break for a long time. Most importantly, no one sees the Spartakiad as some friendly competition. The hype on social media about the matches shows that not only athletes, but also fans are ready for a good fight. They travel all the way from their home regions to support their teams”.
Sergey Shishkarev also reminded that exactly six years ago, Russia women’s handball team won gold medals at the Rio Olympics.
“It was our glorious Olympic victory. I would like to congratulate everyone involved in this event. Especially the players and the coaching staff led by the legendary Evgeny Trefilov. This is definitely a unique achievement,” Shishkarev concluded.
Source: Russian Handball Federation