“An apathetic, unproductive CIO, I don’t expect anything from them.” Cycling coach Kuznetsov on status neutrality and risk of disqualification

– Alexander Anatolyevich, are you satisfied with the result with which the team races were won today in the Russian Championship?

– Yes, I am happy. We were pretty much counting on such seconds, so it should be optimal at that time.

– There is no feeling of stagnation without a large number of international departures?

– There is a feeling that there is not enough of such an emotional outburst to show a good result. We survive thanks to internal competition, the guys have good competition and it gives results.

– But sooner or later, such internal competition will get tired.

“I think this whole situation is going to end soon.

– Are you an optimist?

– I? Yes, I am an optimist. By the end of the year, everything should be simplified, and next year will already be normal.

– But not Olympic in the case of the track.

– Alas, not anymore. The Olympics have already left us on the trail.

The guys took a multi-day trip to Italy. Played in a club?

Like a Spanish club. We have a long practice of interacting with local cycling there, partnered with the local club and were able to start under their flag.

– Many of your runners have been given neutral status. You don’t plan to go with him to the World Cup in Glasgow?

– It is impossible for us to go to Glasgow for the World Cup. You see, the declaration that the UCI has offered us is normal “flexible” paper. I think our federation president Vyacheslav Ekimov worked here to create acceptable conditions. In the case of the British, there is a paper with impossible conditions.

If we are not talking about the World Championship, our guys can participate in the World Championship – it is in Colombia, in the European Road Championship. But the UK is not an option to compete.

– You have said more than once that our sport must change. Maybe now is the time?

“Those who can make the necessary changes are now busy with other things, and those running the sport have little understanding of what they are responsible for.

– You are not expecting good news from the IOC session?

– No. They can’t do anything right. Slow and infertile CIO.

– They try to allow athletes to have a neutral status.

“Trying does not mean getting married. It’s not even an attempt to sit on two chairs. They sit on one chair and the other is simply designated.

– Alena Ivanchenko is now going through such an important period of her career, but she also has a lot of limitations. Does it interfere?

-Undoubtedly. For example, there are visa restrictions. She can stay in Europe for 90 days in six months, then she comes back here, then she goes back to the road team.

– For Masha Novolodskaya, the lack of neutral status is a difficult story.

– Masha is in our special account, she has great merits as an athlete. We believe in it. All this is not easy, but she is at home, I think it is her main support now.

– Last year, you mentioned the problem of importing bicycles. If I understood correctly, everything went well.

-There are possibilities to bring bicycles, but, as always, there is not enough money. The bicycle is not only a residual principle, it is generally financed according to an incomprehensible principle. We can’t compare ourselves to football or hockey, but we can’t compare ourselves to wrestling, for example. In general, we are inferior to many sports in this area.

“But you look like a medal.”

– Those who share the money are not responsible for the medals.

– From what I understand, you approved of the guys’ decision to obtain neutral status?

– Certainly.

“Many shout: ‘No neutral status is needed!’

– Nonsense. Now the most important thing is to keep the athletes, and every coach is responsible for making sure their athlete continues to do what they love. We do everything for our guys. They provided them with not a chic, but a normal level of competition at races in Italy, Spain.

– But, you see, there is a lot of negativity around because of the neutral status.

“We have enough people in general who don’t understand much. Every athlete takes ten years to train, a sport takes decades to recover, and to lose it now is to fall behind for many years, it will be extremely difficult to catch up. There is a serious risk of disqualification, and we must not allow it. People don’t understand that. I believe that our patriotism now is to preserve people, their efficiency, their optimism, the growth arc of sports results.

– No one has changed sport citizenship in your team, although this is possible under a simplified scheme due to the UCI decision. For what?

– I think we have normal guys, normal upbringing.

– Talk about the compensation of an athlete for the transition, how do you perceive it?

– They will make noise, they will bubble and stop. In such a difficult time, different ideas arise, including clumsy ones.