“Now we’re going to get BELAZ trucks under the figure skater stuffed animals.” The Minister of Sports of Krasnoyarsk summed up the results of the Russian championship

– It seems that the Russian Figure Skating Championship was perfect. At least I didn’t hear a single swear word. It’s like that?

– It is not even important how I rate the Russian Championship, but how its direct participants and spectators rate it. And from those and others really heard only positive. The fact that the Russian championship in Krasnoyarsk was held at a very high organizational level, noted the leaders of the FFKR, and for us this is of fundamental importance. Because the high rating of the federation gives a chance to negotiate the holding of other figure skating events in the region as early as 2023. These negotiations have already been sketched out, and we and the FFKR are interested in them, so we agreed in January to return to a more substantial dialogue.

We heard a lot of compliments from the skaters themselves. It is important to us that everyone involved in the event feels comfortable and satisfied. From the beginning of the process, from the whole championship draw, to a few last things, we tried to keep a high level of organization.

For example, we knew that draws in regional tournaments are the most hated event for athletes. In many areas, they try to seize the opportunity and, guided by very good intentions, want to show all the beauty of their region in front of top athletes. They pull out all the singing and dancing sets that are at hand, organize a one-hour concert. But it’s only the first day, people have just arrived and are terribly sleepy. From then on, we knew that the events had to be dynamic, that all the technical means involved worked, and that the athletes and spectators did not waste too much time.

Many athletes appreciated the hospitality of the Siberians, who greeted each skater with a bang. There was an incredible amount of lint on the ice. News of what was pulled by KAMAZ has been in the federal press, and that’s really not an exaggeration.

– It seems that for the next competitions you will have to look for more spacious cars for the stuffed animals?

– Yes, probably, we will have to bring BelAZ trucks (laughs). Fortunately, there are enough of them in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, we will find at least one such car.

– Anna Shcherbakova spoke at Dmitry Chernyshenko’s briefing and separately thanked Krasnoyarsk for preparing for the Games in Beijing. It turns out that your region becomes almost the main one for Russian figure skating?

“Perhaps you could say that. It seems to me that all of this has a certain cumulative effect. In 2019, the first Russian Championship was held in Krasnoyarsk, and based on its results, the FFKR and the athletes had a certain list of recommendations for us as organizers. As a result, by 2022 we have taken all this into account when preparing for the Olympic training camp and the Russian championship. We have tried to pay maximum attention to our skaters, to their requests. The team left us very satisfied, and you know the result at the Olympic Games. We are happy to see that in this success there is also our share. And the championship itself at the end of the calendar year became the icing on the cake of our relations with the world of Russian figure skating.

We are already trying to bring something new, our own, to tournaments. For example, a fan zone within the framework of the Russian Championship. As far as I know, this is only practiced during major football tournaments, such as the World Cup or the European Championship. But we decided to transfer this experience to figure skating – that is, the people themselves were skating on the rinks and watching the tournament at the same time. And thanks to the fan zone of the ski pole, I hope there will be more fans in figure skating. We are already seeing this effect.

At the same time, I note that it is not yet the peak. You can always improve something, you can’t stop there. I am sure that the events to come, including in figure skating, will be even better organized, even more brilliant than the previous ones.

— But in addition to the figurine, there were enough other events in Krasnoyarsk this year — hockey, snowboarding and wrestling. What can be distinguished from this?

— The calendar year was very eventful and dense. It started with the traditional international freestyle wrestling tournament named after Ivan Yarygin, then snowboarding competitions were held at the Sopka cluster – this is the legacy of the Universiade-2019. In the spring, a rhythmic gymnastics tournament was held, for the first time it was held in an international format, many countries came to see us, including representatives from Europe, although it was already in may. The judo tournament also usually had the status of an all-Russian tournament, but this year it was held in a new format, members of the Russian team came there. Alexander Semin’s match is almost the second most important sporting event of this year. I think this match will definitely go down in the history of Krasnoyarsk sports.

It’s important to note that almost all of the tournaments we hosted were in new formats. Given the evolution of the situation, we tried to react quickly, adapting to the circumstances.

It is important for us to organize events not only for the show and not only to satisfy the needs of the athletes. Having a task from the governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, it is important for us to attract a new audience who was not interested in this or that sport before. That is, people who are conditionally not fans of figure skating come to the Russian Championship, see all the action and begin to take an interest in it and involve their children in it – this is our main goal. Basically, like in the movies. But sport is better than movies. Because coming to the competition, you never know how this “movie” will end. We have started to implement this approach, and it seems to me that our colleagues from the sports federations have seen it themselves. It can only make you happy.

– Is there an effect to this? The kids went to stick figure, hockey and so on?

– Yes definitely. Each event generates a surge in the emergence of new people involved in a particular sport. Semin’s game passed, and the very next day one of the parents took his children to the hockey section. The championship of Russia in the figure passed – they took me to figure skating. I can’t name the effect of the last tournament yet, but in general, from 2019 to 2022, the number of people involved in figure skating has increased several times. Now we have around 1000 students in the area.

At the same time, I would like to point out that not only the quantity is increasing, but also the quality. As part of the Russian championship, Elena Anatolyevna Chaikovskaya noted that our young boys and girls show quite competitive results at the All-Russian level. At the junior level, Krasnoyarsk students stand out in general, and our individual skaters perform at the Grand Prix stages. True, they still do not compete with top athletes, but a step forward is visible to the naked eye. So to answer your question, yes, there is an increase in our competitions, and that’s significant.

And there is another factor that needs to be mentioned. By organizing such competitions, it is possible to organize large corporate events. For example, the recent Russian Railways Cup, where there were about 200 participants. And that includes ice rental for four days, and premises, and a rehabilitation center. That is, the direct and indirect income of a large company for the region. And now we are negotiating with a number of large companies to hold similar events at our venues in 2023 as part of their Spartakiads or any other similar event.

– Do you think that the increased interest in hockey after the Alexander Semin game and his arrival in the region’s hockey could eventually lead Sokol to the KHL? Or is it still unrealistic?

– I would not want to run faster than the capacity of the region in this matter. Let me explain: given that the Krasnoyarsk Lynx are playing in the JHL this year, it is important for us and for the new management of the club to work within the framework of the requirements that exist in the Continental Hockey League. As you know, the MHL championship, unlike the VHL, takes place in much the same regulatory realities as the KHL championship. For example, the delegates who come to games are the same as in the KHL. Overall, of course, we dream of the KHL. But to talk about it objectively, you have to be functionally and structurally ready for it. Basically, a major sponsor will come tomorrow, but the club will simply not be ready for promotion, neither in terms of operational and management staff, nor in terms of the arena, so everything will be sad. Therefore, for the time being, we will not make any loud statements.

What else are you planning for 2023? ASB game?

— Actually, before the match, we will have something else. At the end of January, the Ivan Yarygin tournament will take place, which still retains its international status. It is clear that this year there will be representatives from only a few countries – Mongolia, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan. On January 20, we will organize a Russian Snowboard Open Cup. We hold it in such a mode as if it were a World Cup stage. Yes, there will be few participating countries, but we will not lower the level.

And already on February 4, the Arena Sever will host the All-Star Game of the Student Basketball Association. At ASB, the concept of the show is always very effective. All the best we see at the KHL All-Star Games or the VTB United League will definitely be there. It seems that the “ASB All-Star Game” doesn’t sound so bright right off the bat, and it’s hard for an ordinary fan to name at least one star in the association. But I can guarantee that everyone who comes to the show will enjoy it, whether they like basketball or not. Plus, the ASB has its own audience, and they’re sure to know their stars and will come to the stands.

I repeat, already in January we will resume negotiations on holding one of the major tournaments in figure skating. I think it will either be the Grand Prix stage or the Russian Show Jumping Championship. More specifically, it will be possible to speak after negotiations with the FFKR.