Dmitri Dorofeev: “We show a certain level, but we cannot maintain it forever”

— How do you manage to motivate athletes in the current situation?

“We work as a team, we communicate, we understand everything. We live every moment together with the country. We hear all the statements from the leaders of our sport and our president. We are in the same boat.

We can’t predict how long this suspension thing will last, but the competition within the team is good. Pasha Kulizhnikov returned in good spirits and work, moving away from the Olympics and excitement. We have a certain level, but we cannot maintain it forever.

— Pasha said that although everyone participates in international competitions in neutral status, this is not the case.

– I have the same position. The focus now is on developing sports in the country and creating conditions for our athletes. And that is what we must do now. Recall that in Soviet times Kharlamov and Skoblikova were stewed in the same porridge, but in the current situation we have a separation. Perhaps it is time for us to abandon the format of contracts with a centralized service provider and move to contractual work with other implementation conditions and other relevant payments. I think the salary should be different and very different from what the guys are getting now.

— The idea of ​​the “golden hundred” arose in the discussion format. How do you feel?

— I read Svishchev’s comment on this subject. He spoke about the situation regarding the retention of athletes in the national team, the fact that some athletes applied and the problem of their working conditions was resolved. The athletes ultimately remained in Russia. In general, all federations are different, they all have different financing conditions. Therefore, here you should contact the athletes and find out about their working conditions.

The President said that prize money should be proportional to prize money in international competitions. In swimming, the international federation, as I understand it, gives 25 thousand dollars for a world record, athletics 100 thousand dollars, and the ISU – nothing. Here you really need good communication and you need to work on details.

— Kulizhnikov said that the Spartakiad prize money for the strongest, compared to the ISU prize money for the season, is paltry.

– Certainly. There was 15,000 euros for the World All-Around Championships. This is a lot compared to the Spartakiad of the Strongest, but among other events at the international level, it is not enough. In countries where speed skating is cultivated, you don’t really feel this difference, because there are professional contracts. And in our most decorated winter sport, there is no encouragement worthy of the name.

— Why didn’t you tell the story from Chelyabinsk last year, when Kulizhnikov was asked to leave the rink?

— It was a year of transition. We all found ourselves in new conditions. In addition, it was a year of transition in terms of work organization within the federation. It’s already in the past. Pasha decided to express it, but this, again, fits into the context of our conversation: we need to keep athletes motivated.

— Do you think we need wildcards for force majeure situations?

— Before this season, I proposed not to create wild cards, but to ensure that, under the changed conditions, participants in the Olympic Games would have the opportunity to participate in any tournament.

— Ruslan Zakharov said in an interview that he is too motivated to work, but during competitions his mood is always not the same.

— Because the athlete’s body itself requires work in training, but preparing for the start is doubly difficult. The leaders are in the ranks, they are training, but when something else comes to mind, try it, go to the start line and give 100%. I had the same thing with Kulizhnikov. In training you can do a good lap, but at the start the concentration is not the same, it affects your running, your coordination, everything in general. It’s even traumatic to go out on the ice in such a psychological state, because you lose concentration.

— Angelina Golikova missed the Kolomna Kremlin Cup. When does it open the season?

— Angelina was seriously ill, an infectious disease, bronchitis, lungs. She got permission, but we decided not to rush. She still has time before the first stage of the Russian Cup.

— Is Vladimir Semirunniy a loss for the team?

– It’s a loss, because he is a potentially strong athlete. Yes, I moved to Poland, which has a harsh attitude towards us in terms of geopolitics, but I do not want to drag the young man into political squabbles.