This week is my first time in Kazan. More precisely, in the village of Mirny, twenty minutes by car from the center. Here, in the newest ski stadium, the competitions of the stage of the Russian Cup in cross-country skiing will take place for the first time (by the way, all broadcasts are on !), So I am here “on a business trip for work.”
I wanted to visit here for a long time. Tatarstan mainly stands out. To quote the local newspaper:
“…Since the beginning of the 2000s, the following practice has been adopted in Tatarstan: sports federations are transferred to influential figures of the republic. Civil servants and ministers use the weight of their apparatus to attract investors, as well as money from the budget, not federal, but republican…”
The Ski Racing Federation of Tatarstan has been headed for many years by Ilshat Fardiev, General Director of the OJSC Network company, former Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan.
I have neither the intention nor the opportunity to analyze all of Ilshat Shaekhovich’s activities in this article, but I have every right to speak about my own impressions. As an independent columnist. Why independent – read below.
I have already mentioned this in my columns: the Tatarstan team is the main and, I’m afraid, the only team in the Russian Cup that looks exactly like a team. Or, if you prefer, a professional club. First of all, they stand out: everyone is dressed head to toe in costumes in the RT team colors. Other regional teams do not have this.
Secondly, there are always a lot of athletes from Tatarstan – it is not for nothing that they lead the general standings of the Cup, where priority is given to the mass participation of athletes.
Third, the national team enjoys almost national team-level support: ski service, doctors, physiotherapists, and even the team’s own photographer.
Fardiev himself is not an “outside investor”, but the most active supporter of the ski stadium.
I think I will not be wrong if I say that showing up in Tatarstan is now the dream of every young first-class student or candidate for a master’s degree in sports.
I’ve heard a lot in recent years about the new ski stadium that Fardiev and the federation were building near Kazan. This is not a restructuring or upgrade of something that already existed in Soviet times, but a completely new project.
And now, finally, here I am. Well, what can I say: an excellent ski stadium! I have never seen competition tracks so wide and so well prepared. Not just in Russia – anywhere. The width is said to be at least 12 meters, and it is dense and well-rolled (skiers will understand). If you are comparing professional ski slopes, then you should compare those located near cities with a million inhabitants. Mirny beats Krasnogorsk near Moscow and Toksovo near St. Petersburg simply “with one goal.” This is for those who do not understand why high-level ski competitions do not take place in Moscow and St. Petersburg: the conditions are not the same.
The circle here is five kilometers. It’s neither too much nor too little, just enough, especially for television. Two-thirds of the track is reserved for professionals; amateurs are directly warned: do not go on the slopes, they are intended for us. For lovers, two kilometers of gentle terrain through a spruce forest that is absolutely magical in this winter weather. If I were them, I wouldn’t go any further in this cold weather – I have to, it’s work.
The stadium is not perfect. We are spoiled by good hotels with ski slopes nearby, such as the “Pearl of Siberia” near Tyumen or the Filipenko Center in Khanty-Mansiysk. There is no such thing in Mirny yet – although, knowing Fardiev’s energy, I am sure they will build it up over time. In any case, it is the first high-level ski stadium in Russia (and probably also in the world) in a long time. And it will greatly help Tatarstan in training cross-country skiers.
And now why, despite all my obvious love, I myself do not speak on behalf of Tatarstan.
From what I understand, Fardiev has a firm policy: he does not seek to have the best riders ready under the flags of Tatarstan. They are interested in development.
Frankly: Tatarstan offered me a contract in 2021, but I was not satisfied with two things.
First: financial conditions. A professional athlete has the right to count on better working conditions. The better you run, the more ambition you have, the more rewards – the more demands. Tatarstan has a firm policy: they prefer to raise stars themselves rather than buying ready-made ones.
Therefore, only promising juniors are invited and you are unlikely to see the leaders of the national team in green, white and red colors. Until theirs grow up, at least.
Second question: Tatarstan is fundamentally opposed to the practice of so-called “parallel compensation”. This is when athletes represent two regions at once, usually their home region and their new one. I do not want to break ties with Kamchatka, and Kamchatka has the right to receive some points for my performances. Tatarstan has a more professional approach, I admit, either 100% for us or not at all.
The article from the local press that I cited above provides data on the financing of the Ski Federation of Tatarstan – 100,000,000 rubles per year. I will try to clarify if necessary. But I think it’s close to the truth. Regardless of the exchange rate, this is more than the budget of the ski federations of, for example, the Czech Republic or Slovenia. This is probably the price to pay for a truly integrated approach to the development of cross-country skiing, when there are enough top athletes, international sports masters, stadiums and track preparation.
I am sincerely happy that there is a very concrete example of how skiing should be developed in the region. I believe and hope that more and more enthusiastic people like Fardiev and his team will appear in Russia.
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.
