We have a division. Over the past few months, everyone in the sport has realized that there will be no Russians at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The window of opportunity has all but closed with no entry to the 2024 World Cup /25. In theory, individual athletes can still qualify for Milan-Cortina, but they cannot count on victories.
It is still difficult for lovers of biathlon, skating and cross-country skiing to get used to it. They still live on their memories. True to traditional brands such as the Olympics and World Championships.
We will certainly be invited again and very politely: it is impossible to lose a market of 150 million people. But for now we just have to build something of our own, new and original ourselves.
To do this, you need to do a few simple things. Starting with those that do not require huge costs or legislative changes.
Examples? Please. At the entrance to Oberhof, Germany, there is a huge poster with a photo and words of support from my long-time friend and German national team rival, Lisa Lohmann. It all makes sense: Lisa may not be the leader of her team yet, but she’s local, she grew up in Oberhof. Our analogue of the German Oberhof is the “Pearl of Siberia” near Tyumen. Both are world-class luxury resorts. And “Pearl” has her own local pride: my colleague from the training group and also Lisa, Pantrina. I see her as the leader of the upcoming Russian ski season, she has everything for that. All that is missing is a huge and beautiful poster at the entrance to the stadium. For some reason, it is not customary for us to be proud of local champions visually, clearly, constantly! What’s stopping you?
Let’s move on to more serious support. Every Norwegian, Swedish, German and Swiss skier has local sponsors. Yes, that’s a far cry from the money Frida Karlsson gets as the main face of a major sports brand all over Sweden. But this is precisely what underlines the link with the “small homeland”. Not everything is measured by the amount of monetary support; I really like the format of sponsorship of athletes by local car dealerships. Skiers only need a car for a few weeks, at most a few months a year, to go cross-country skiing. For example, in a year and a half, I drove six or seven thousand with mine. I don’t think European car sellers go to great expense offering athletes cars from the test fleet. Additionally, the sponsor’s name is always on the “on board” sticker.
Consider this a message to our car dealers: skiers are your best advertisement these months. Stylish, modern, efficient!
In turn, it is common for European athletes to appear and speak in front of teams of their sponsors’ employees. Motivational speech – motivational speech. Not during meetings or “line-ups”, but before some corporate Spartakiades, races, relay races, etc. People should know local heroes by sight, be proud of the fact that this is not just a girl with an advertisement for our company on her overalls on TV, but one of our own, we know her , we communicate personally. I am trying to instill this element of interaction here, I went to the enterprises of a former sponsor in the Arkhangelsk region, I am trying to do something similar now in Tatarstan and Kirovsk. But this is still more my initiative, although the management of the sponsoring companies invariably supports such ideas, which I am happy about.
In glorious Vologda there is a brilliant governor Georgy Yuryevich Filimonov. This year his name has definitely become known to everyone who is at least one way or another interested in politics. This summer, I came across a quote from his speeches, I was waiting for the opportunity to quote it:
“A true patriot of Russia is a person who does not isolate himself in his own culture and is not isolated from the world cultural context.”
Today I don’t write about culture, but about business and sports, but the idea seems very true for them too. Open your eyes: by learning and taking the best from the West and the East, we have already transformed our cities into some of the most convenient in the world. Cafes, shops, parks, transport in big cities are at least at European level. Nothing stops you from getting a tourist visa and going to see and compare for yourself.
Our “bureaucracy” is the least bureaucratic; in Germany and Austria they still communicate with authorities by registered mail rather than online (in advanced countries Norway and Sweden, like us, everything is online).
But in sport we are still lagging behind in terms of organization and construction processes. Trust and hope in the state as a major sponsor at all levels, from children’s sports schools to the national team, dates back to the 20th century. We have to change it. I see nothing wrong with an athlete spending a lot of time researching and communicating with sponsors. If you want to ride, learn to carry a sled. And don’t forget to say thank you at the same time.
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Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
