“The most annoying thing is that everyone talks about money. This is not the main thing in life.” Interview with Viktor Maïgourov

On Sunday, the first stage of the Alfa-Bank Commonwealth Summer Biathlon Cup ended at the Laura Olympic Stadium. Following the results of the competition, the head of the Russian Biathlon Union Viktor Maigurov spoke about his willingness to come for an interview with Anton Babikov, explained why he would not draw conclusions based on the results of the start male group, and also stated that during his performances he did not think about money.

— What results can we summarize after the first step?

— The season has started. Thank God everything went well: without injuries or falls, because before the start of the stage there were some problems due to the weather. It is gratifying that quite a large number of athletes took part: there were about 60 men, more than 30 women, this is a good indicator for the Commonwealth Cup. As for the organization itself, we had a good atmosphere, because it’s boring for athletes to perform in front of empty stands.

I would like to congratulate my colleagues from the Belarusian federation, because Anton Smolsky won three races. I can’t say that our athletes are much inferior. Yes, they are inferior in terms of shooting, which is what we need to pay attention to, which is what we often talk about. We will evaluate the activities of coaches and the performances of athletes based on the results of two main competitions: Spartakiad and the Russian Championship. Based on the results of these competitions, the criteria for the composition of the national team for next year will be approved. Naturally, an athlete cannot participate only in these two tournaments, he must somehow be ranked.

The mass starts on Sunday were very interesting for the spectators; the intrigue of our sport remains. For me, new Belarusian names have become a pleasant discovery. But it is not very happy that among the men only three members of the national team are in the top 10. This probably cannot be ignored, but no one will draw a conclusion based on just one start. We will see how this work progresses this winter. Athletes who excel in summer are not always among the leaders in winter. We will certainly not draw conclusions about the work of coaches or the preparation of athletes. It is gratifying that Loginov and Nigmatullina, who missed the season, return to the first group of athletes. I hope all this continues, because to get in shape you need competitive activity. This is a good example for the young athletes who have competed here. I hope they draw the right conclusions to refine the problems that currently exist. We won’t be able to say anything definite about it until spring, but it’s probably hard to expect a miracle if your results are poor in December, January, etc.

— Concerning the men’s mass start: did you have time to discuss with the coaches, why did this happen?

– Not yet. It is clear that the Belarusians held their training camp in Armenia at a different altitude, but this of course cannot be a definitive answer as to why they look better, although altitude also matters a lot . But leaders must strike. Unfortunately, Karim and Serokhvostov did not play, but I hope they will be ready for Tyumen. Our main problem is shooting.

— You didn’t want to organize a big mass departure?

— No, because there would be a big gap between the participants. And not everyone could come here for financial reasons. We want as many athletes as possible to participate in our competitions, but we will not forget about the competitions either, because falling in winter and falling in summer are two different things.

— Not all professional athletes have completed the entire program. What will it be like for young men in winter?

– I remember myself when I was at the Junior World Championships in France at 1800 meters above sea level, well nothing – they were running normally. Nobody said it was difficult. Well, yes, it’s heavier than usual, but here in Sochi it’s not even that high, only 1,300 meters. Those who have the desire and opportunity can come earlier. And no one comes with a clean slate. You can still live downstairs and compete here. The task of the state is to organize these events in a very cool way, to show young people the atmosphere, not behind the scenes, but here and now. One day we could compete on the Olympic tracks… That would be cool.

— Will the prize money remain the same this season?

– Yes, it’s true.

— At the Commonwealth Cup, the Championship and the Russian Cup?

— And also the Russian Championship and All-Russian competitions.

— But at the same time, the SBR budget has decreased?

— Yes, overall, it has decreased. But we try not to reduce the prize money.

— Last season there were three stages of the Commonwealth Cup in Belarusian Raubichi, now there is only one left. Why is that?

— We added the Spartakiad of the strongest. The Commonwealth Cup was reduced by five men’s races and five women’s races. The Spartakiad is the same five races. Without this we would have added two Commonwealth Cup stages. That year, all the coaches and athletes said there were a lot of departures. Now we took a two-week break after the December debut, then in January there was a block and two weeks of preparation for the Spartakiad, then after the February debut – two weeks before the Russian Championship. In fact, there were five fewer departures.

— Has athletes’ contact with SBR improved or worse?

— Thanks to the fact that we created an athlete committee, we began to communicate more. Previously, we had one-on-one communications, but now we regularly discuss pressing topics once a month. A committee of athletes is involved – seven people. If anyone else wants to tune in, for goodness sake.

— Did any of the athletes’ ideas surprise you?

— What bothers me the most is that we always talk about money: why, how much. I’m just going along with my time. Obviously we didn’t have any prize money…I don’t know. They are probably interested in many things, but the main conversations are about money. Yes, everyone needs money. It’s not the most important thing in life anyway.

—There’s nothing wrong with a person wanting to make money, right?

– Of course not. But when we explain that for one reason or another the SBR budget has decreased, but we keep the prize money at the same level, they say to us: “Let’s do more? We give priority to athletes. If you add it all up, it’s about 80 to 90 million. And 55 million – we help regional federations. Let’s ask the regional federations where to move this cup: towards the young people we raise, or towards the award-winning athletes? I think the choice will be obvious. So we try to maintain a certain parity. We try to support our regional federations as much as possible, which take care of those who will come to us tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. For the first time, this program worth 55 million was implemented. Next year we also want to preserve the Regional Support Program and the Regional Athlete Support Program as much as possible. We also never had prize money for juniors. That year, 111 juniors received payments for winning prizes in competitions. For adults, it was 58 or 68 people. I think it is also a good support to motivate them in a difficult period when our international season is over. They understand where to go. This is an important element for young people to learn about our sport.

— You said that 15,000 rubles were allocated to the Ivanovo region for the season. Did you arrive on site to resolve the problem? And how many regions are there where everything is completely sad?

— If we talk about the Ivanovo region, we haven’t reached there yet. We are still coordinating a meeting with regional leaders through their ministry. We will help them in one way or another – with their advice or in another way. With all the regions who contact us on certain issues, we find solutions. This summer I traveled to many regions: Mari El, Chuvashia, Ulyanovsk region. In some regions this was repeated: in the Far East, in Karelia. Everyone has their own degree of development of biathlon and the degree of their own problems. For some, 100,000 is a lot of money, for others, other stories are needed. In Gorno-Altaisk, where the shooting range has not yet been completed, we are trying to help in every possible way. Today, I have a vice-president in charge of sports, Pavel Rostovtsev, who is more involved in the life of the teams, and I am involved in regional politics.

— Is there any news of collaboration with skiers?

– I can’t say anything specific. Everything is under discussion, but nothing more.

— Are you ready to go to an interview with Anton Babikov for his Telegram channel?

“In general, I am ready to communicate with everyone.” I have no off-limits people, no matter who I communicate with. I don’t even know if he has a Telegram channel.

— This is a chain of three people: Babikov, Povarnitsyn and Loginov.

— I rarely read this or that news. I have people who inform what they write. There really is something else to do. I’m not just talking about sports, but also about world news. I don’t watch television at home; At work, I scroll through the news feed. I am not present on social networks, I do not publish anything myself. Because there is something to do. I don’t miss it.

— But do you know the “Union of Three Biathletes”?

– Certainly. I know we have three athletes who are preparing on their own. All. This is transmitted indirectly. I am on good terms with all of them. When they requested this or that support, we worked through the TsSP and provided information about Shukalovich. It’s actually not that simple. It could have been done. But they decided not to worry about it. On the one hand, I understand them. It is a bureaucratic chain that must be crossed. For them to succeed, autumn will already be over.

The Alfa-Bank Russian Summer Biathlon Championship will take place in Tyumen from September 16 to 19. All races will be broadcast live on the channel and broadcasts will also be available on the matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru websites.