“Zhamnov will be asked a lot of questions at the coaching council.” Interview with Vladislav Tretyak

– You were elected to the executive committee of the Russian Olympic Committee. How important is this for hockey?

— I used to be on the executive committee. But then he stopped working, because all the presidents of the federations who work in the State Duma of the Russian Federation and are civil servants fell under the sanctions of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The suspension lasted two years and on December 17 the sanctions ended. Therefore, on December 20, I was referred to the executive committee.

This is very important because hockey is an Olympic sport, one of the main favorites of our fans. Therefore, we need to know what is happening in ROC, to establish communication. This executive committee resolves all issues related to the Olympic movement.

– And other questions too – for example, about charity.

— Yes, I recently became a board member of the Circle of Good Foundation, which was founded by our President Vladimir Putin last year.

The Foundation helps children with serious and chronic illnesses. They need money for rehabilitation or they need expensive drugs that are not always available in Russia, so they are bought abroad.

For me, it is very important and honourable. I know about this work, I have my own fund, many people turn to me for help as a deputy in the State Duma. And these children have rare and orphan diseases, they need help in the first place.

– Are you optimistic that the Russian national hockey team will play in the 2026 Olympics in Italy under your own flag? Can you believe it? Even the Americans are now saying that the Russians should participate in the Games.

– I believe that the Olympics, world championships in hockey and other sports without Russians are inferior. Many athletes around the world want to compete with the strongest. And our athletes are among the best athletes in the world in winter and summer sports.

Of course, they want to see us in the big competitions. In what capacity – with or without a flag – I don’t know yet. I would like it with a flag. But as it will be, so it will be. The main thing is that our athletes participate. It is very important.

You see, a person from the age of five is striving to become an Olympic champion. He wants to become an honored master of sports, devotes his whole life to this profession. And it’s unfair when it’s limited in competitions. Look at our boys in hockey – now the World Youth Championship is going on without us. It’s wrong!

The boys want to win gold in juniors and youth, grow up to the world championship in adults. I feel sorry for them, it’s a shame this happened. They deserve to play. But, unfortunately, that is the situation today. I wish it was resolved sooner.

— The international hockey tournament in Moscow is over. Did you take to heart the defeat of the Russian team against the Belarusians on Sunday? Or is it just an incident?

– Well, what is the incident? I don’t think you can play at home. I have a lot of respect for the Belarusians, they had a good team. But I think you have to win at home with your own audience. The game is televised nationwide. Our fans missed the winning hockey played by the Russian team. We had to win.

– Why didn’t it happen?

– We will have a coaching meeting on Wednesday. Head coach Alexei Zhamnov will report and he will be asked a lot of questions. For example, why the team in the first game was stronger than the team in the second. Maybe he should answer why.

– Zhamnov said preparations for the 2026 Olympics in Italy have already begun. It turns out that the federation sees how this coaching staff will work throughout the Olympic cycle?

— For now, I don’t want to talk about further work. Time will tell us. We have to deal with it day by day, and on the agenda, coaching advice is now on the agenda. There they will evaluate the work of the seat.

And the results of the Beijing Olympics? The money was taken there.

– Its good. Any Olympic medal is a good result. Although we always strive for gold medals. But the future activities of the headquarters will also depend on whether or not we continue to participate in the world championships.