Athletes’ Commissions of Belarus’ NOC and ROC meet in Samara

The Athletes’ Commissions of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Belarus and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) held a joint meeting in Samara during the 13th International Sports Forum “Russia: Country of Sports”.

The meeting was attended by Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus Kseniya Sankovich and Secretary General of the Russian Olympic Committee Victor Berezov, as guests of honor.

“First of all, I would like to congratulate the new ROC Athletes’ Commission on the start of their work and, of course, thank them for the invitation and the warm welcome extended to us, despite the enormous workload related to holding this large-scale forum “Russia: Country of Sports”, said Kseniya Sankovich, Secretary General of the NOC of Belarus. “It is gratifying that the Belarusian delegation in Samara is one of the biggest and features representatives of the Athletes’ Commission, the NOC of Belarus, the Sports and Tourism Ministry, and other agencies.”

She also conveyed greetings from Viktor Lukashenko, head of the Belarusian NOC, who wished the athletes fruitful work at the forum.

“Belarusian, like Russian, athletes are subject to unfair sanctions by international sports organizations, and our task is to fight for their rights,” noted ROC Secretary General Victor Berezov. “The meeting is taking place during the forum “Russia: Country of Sports”, where methods and forms of support for athletes are being discussed. I wish both commissions fruitful work here in Samara.”

Vladlena Bobrovnikova, Chair of the ROC Athletes’ Commission and an Olympic handball champion, emphasized: “Our commissions in both Russia and Belarus have great responsibility to all athletes. We have a new composition; we are open to everyone, to new ideas and proposals.”

“We’ve established a very clear framework for communication between our commissions, and we know everyone well. In recent years, we’ve truly become one big family. Samara is a remarkable place for Belarusians, and I’m confident we’ll do excellent work here,” said Aliaksandr Bahdanovich, Chairman of the Athletes’ Commission of the Belarusian NOC and an Olympic canoe champion.

The parties discussed a joint position on the fundamental principles of the Olympic movement, leading to the discussion and adoption of a joint Declaration.

Maksim Sinitsyn, Head of the Olympic Movement Department of the Belarusian NOC, presented projects of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus and discussed the joint participation of representatives from the two commissions.

This year the athletes’ commissions have already held two meetings, with the first having taken place in June during the Vytoki sports and cultural festival in Postavy, Belarus.

During their time in Samara, the commissions’ representatives will participate actively in the forum’s extensive program, including a session titled “Preparing Leaders: From Medals to Sports Management,” organized by Russian International Olympic University (RIOU). The education and social adaptation of athletes after retirement remain key areas of focus for both commissions.

Press service of the NOC of Belarus
Photos courtesy of the ROC