Cooperation in sports between Russia and African countries was the main topic of the session 'Sport: A Bridge of Friendship between Russia and Africa at the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum held in St. Perterburg, Russia.
Speaking at the event, the Russian Minister of Sport, Oleg Matytsin, suggested expanding cooperation with African countries in terms of educational programmes, as well as in the field of high-performance and mass sports.
"Today, Russia is ready to offer a smart competitive sports strategy for African countries, as well as a roadmap for its implementation. We propose to expand and organise joint training camps at Russian federal sports bases, conduct educational programmes for African specialists, and send Russian coaches to prepare African athletes for major international events," he said.
The Sports Minister quoted the former South African President, Nelson Mandela, a great sports fan and a great man, as saying 'Sport has the power to change the world. Sport has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth
in a language they understand. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination'.
Irina Viner, President of the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation, expressed her readiness to work with African athletes.
"Africa is very important to us now. It is a continent with brilliant athletes. There is a huge potential in sports there, including rhythmic gymnastics. I have always dreamed of having a girl from Africa on my team. We can offer our theories and practices of sports development," said Irina Viner.
Umar Kremlev, President, International Boxing Association, noted in his speech that sport should unite people.
"When you take the flag away from an athlete, you humiliate them, because an athlete competes on behalf of their nation. He feels pride precisely because their national anthem is being played and the flag is being raised. Let's take our responsibilities seriously," he said.
The World Friendship Games will be a large-scale tournament in which all athletes will perform under the flags of their countries. At the session, Alexey Sorokin, Head of the Organising Committee of the Games, spoke about where and when the competitions will be held.
"We feel the demand for new competitions where there is no place for slogans and politics, where it is all about sport. That is why we created the Friendship Games, a multi-sport tournament in 27 athletic disciplines. These competitions will unite all countries that want to participate without regard to political views. The only criterion in these Games is sporting achievements. This is not an alternative to the existing formats, but a powerful addition to them with a significant prize fund. The tournament will be held from 15 to 29 September 2024 in Moscow and St. Petersburg," Alexey Sorokin said.
Stanislav Pozdnyakov, President of the Russian Olympic Committee, said the theme of eliminating discrimination in sport.
"Sport is one of the most important components of humanitarian cooperation between our countries. As a trendsetter in sport, Russia is always ready to share its practices. In this part, it is very telling that a friend in need is not just in their words, but in their actions. We understand now who our real friends are, and who has been pretending to be," Mr Pozdnyakov emphasised.
Representatives of African countries also took part in the discussion. All African speakers emphasised that their countries were looking forward to expanding cooperation with Russia.
"Russia has great experience in training athletes. Cooperation with Russia inspires our athletes as your country is known for great achievements in sport," said Adam Mthethwa, President, Eswatini Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association.
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"When Namibia was just on the road to independence, Russia supported us as a friend. And we appreciate that very much. When we got our independence, Russia was also with us. And this relationship has lasted for a long time," Abner Xoagub, President, Namibia National Olympic Committee said.
"Our dream is to win medals at the Olympics through cooperation with Russia. I hope that Russia will help us to achieve this goal," Alioune Traore, Technical Director of the Malian National Olympic Committee said.
Also taking part in the discussion were Svetlana Orlova, Auditor of Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation; Roman Rotenberg, First Vice-President, Russian Ice Hockey Federation; and Vyacheslav Ekimov, President, Russian Cycling Federation
