The Russian Report - Russian Olympic Chief Predicts Improved Performance for Sochi

(ATR) The president of the Russian Olympic Committee says his Olympic team will have a better showing in Sochi than its disappointing performance at the Vancouver Olympics.

Alexandra Zhukov is interviewed by ATR Editor Ed Hula during the recent SportAccord Convention in St. Petersburg. (ATR)

Speaking toAround the Rings, Alexander Zhukov said he was bolstered by the recent performance of Russian athletes during the winter sports season.

"We will have better results than Vancouver," he said.

"Of course, we would like to help our athletes to get more medals in Sochi. This year actually was quite successful for the Russian team; we got seven gold medals in the world championships this year, so we will try to improve our results."

At the Vancouver Olympics, Russia won 15 medals overall and finished 11th on the medal tally. The traditional winter sport powerhouse won 22 medals at the 2006 Turin Olympics, good for fourth on the medal tally.

One area of weakness for the team remains alpine skiing. Zhukov admitted he did not have high expectations for Russia’s alpine skiers on the slopes of Rosa Khutor, but he listed a host of sports with strong showings this year.

Ekaterina Tudegesheva won women's parallel slalom gold at the snowboarding world championship. (Getty Images)

"We are very successful this year in speed skating; we got two gold medals in the last world championship. Also, two gold medals in skiing, Nordic skiing, some sprinters, and also a gold medal in figure skating."

Two Russian snowboarders won medals at the snowboarding world championships. Russia also claimed bronze in the women’s ice hockey world championships.

"We are trained" to perform well in Sochi, Zhukov said.

He added that no medal target is set for the Sochi Olympics.

Zhukov predicted that the Games will bring benefits for years to come for Russian sport.

Construction at Sochi Olympic Stadium in March. (Getty Images)

"I think it’s a great opportunity for Russia, especially for young people," he said, "because it’s a very good example for them. Also, we will have a great legacy from these Games, the new facilities. Everything is new."

The possibility also exists for alpine skiing to take off in Russia, Zhukov said.

More broadly, the ROC president said Sochi kicks of a "golden era" of sport for Russia, highlighting that nearly every major sporting event is scheduled to take place in Russia in the next decade, including the Olympics, 2018 FIFA World Cup, 2013 Universiade and IAAF athletics world championship.

"This is a good opportunity for Russia to involve people in sport, especially young people. I think the main idea is to involve young people in sport, to make sport more popular. And I think that in this sense this is a golden era for sport in Russia."

Alexander Zhukov takes a turn as a remote control sailor at the recent IOC UN forum in New York City. (ATR)

In order to adequately prepare for Russia’s sport extravaganza, the federal government allocates a little more than $3 billion a year for sports. Zhukov said that money goes to sport development and venue construction, but the funds are not enough to prepare for what he calls "a good problem" of hosting so many events.

St. Petersburg has indicated it wants to bid for a Summer Olympics in the future. Zhukov said the Games could take place in Russia’s cultural capital.

"Potentially, why not? It’s a nice city with a lot of facilities. It has very good infrastructure."

"First things first," he added. "We have Sochi, then football [World Cup.]."

Written byEd Hula III. Presented by the Russian Olympic Committee

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