President of the All-Russian Swimming Federation Vladimir Salnikov in an interview with , he said that he considered the approved prize money at the Friendship Games to be adequate due to the non-admission of Russian athletes to the international stage, noting that it was not enough not just competing for medals under current conditions.
The prize fund for four starts – two in the winter and summer groups – will amount to 40 million rubles.
– As for the prize money, we decided to do it in such a way that, on the one hand, we would not enter the sums of the World Cup level, but at the same time it would be an adequate reward . Coaches and athletes will receive prizes. Also, the fight for the super prize will be extended until the end of the year,” Salnikov told .
– There are federations that have taken the “let them run for the medals” route. Without prizes, would it be difficult for the athletes?
– Not that it would be difficult, but due to the lack of international competitions, where the prize money is really indicated… It’s not enough to just play for medals now, I think. We found, it seems to me, the best option with cash prizes.
– Is open water somewhat helpless in this regard? The season is already short, and here there is no World Cup.
— We also thought about the prize fund for open water. Now we are working to officially regulate the performance of our open water swimmers at a distance of 5 km in the pool. But in this sport, everything is based on speeds in the pool, and not just on endurance, and 5 km in the pool is an indicator that allows you to compare speeds in calm water. We have included 5 km in the competition program in Volgograd.
In August, we will hold All-Russian competitions in the Leningrad region, our marathon runners will take part in them. We are planning to hold the Russian Championship in Sukko, but we are also looking for a back-up option in case of bad weather conditions,” said Salnikov.
Kazan hosts the first stage of the Friendship Games, the swimmers competition will end on July 25.
Source : MatchTV
