VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
"I know, not all the athletes on our Olympic are experienced athletes and renowned sportsmen, there are also some newcomers. This is a sign the coaches care about the future of national sports and its best achievements. This is the evidence of our great future, which certainly depends a lot on your previous efforts and on your will to win. We are all aware that luck is important too, so on my own behalf and on behalf of the millions of your other supporters I would like to wish you good luck and great victories".
"Generally, participating in the Olympic Games is a very good result already. But if you only make it, the result is quite insufficient. You must do your best to win. We have excellent chances. Last year our sportsmen won 78 medals and 29 of them were gold. It means that you have every chance to repeat these successes here. As you may know, we have started to pay more and more attention to sports, and allocate a lot of money for it. You may have already heard this, but I would like to tell you once again: I have recently signed an order to more than double the awards".
"Judo is an exercise both for your body and your spirit. It develops strength, reaction, fitness. It teaches you to control your feelings, to feel the height of the moment, to see the rival's strong and weak points, to try to achieve your best results. And the most important is constant improvement and self-cultivation. You will agree that such knowledge, skill and experience are essential for a politician".
"To support physical education and sports in Russia certain measures have been introduced and approved by the Government. A special law has been passed, and a relevant ministry has been established. Since 2006 a special federal targeted program has been implemented - Development of Physical Education and Sports in the Russian Federation. The program will run until 2015. The project budget is more than 100 billion roubles ($4.07 billion). Over 4,000 sporting facilities are to be built. Three quarters of them will be housed in schools and universities. This means children and young people will be the first and most important users of those sporting facilities. Sport is beginning to play an essential part in educational programmes".
"We think it is of prime importance to get the younger generation interested in sport. And it is most important to encourage this from an early age".
"I'm sure that the Russian National Olympic Team will write a brilliant chapter in the history of the Beijing Olympics. Our athletes will give excellent performances, demonstrate high class and skills and will win the highest number of medals.<…> I am reluctant to talk about sure achievements before they come true. Laozi once said: "The one who chants praises to himself will never gain the fame." However, experts say we have a good chance in the rhythmic gymnastics, freestyle wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling, tennis, boxing, track and field, shooting, and synchronized swimming. I also hope that judo fans will be pleased with the athlete's performance".
"I hope the participation of our athletes in the Olympic Games will become additional motivation for the development of popular sports".
"At the same time, the development of children's and youth fitness and sports is our main duty for today. We have determined to fully reinstate and modernise children's and youth sport schools. This is one of the essential fields of work".
"It is great that young athletes - and it is important above all for the young - now have a chance to show their skills to their fans. For the first time the Russian championship will be held this season for the under-21s.<…> Today about 67,000 kids attend sports schools. That is not the limit. That is not enough. We need to promote mass sports, which is what we have been doing in recent years consistently and will do in the near future. The juniors, many of them at least, will compete in Vancouver and later in Sochi in 2014. Of course, their fans will expect results, expect victories".
