New Russian Olympic chief promises big changes 21/05/2010 |
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Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov has been confirmed as the new president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) – and has promised to make drastic changes to the organisation.
Zhukov succeeds Leonid Tyagachyov, who resigned as ROC chief on March 3, two days after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered top sports officials to quit or be fired following the country's worst-ever showing at February's Vancouver Winter Olympics.
"Today, we're opening a new page in the history of our country's sport and the Olympic Movement in Russia," Zhukov told ROC members after receiving 204 out of 209 votes.
Zhukov has been in charge of preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and also headed the Russian Chess Federation between 2003 and 2009. He was the only candidate for the ROC post after being nominated last month.
"My first task is to create a team of like-minded people to lead the ROC as we have to improve a lot of things here," Zhukov added.
He also appointed Marat Bariyev as ROC's executive director.
Later in the day, Zhukov had a meeting with President Medvedev to discuss Russia's preparations for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the 2014 Sochi Games.
"There are many tasks ahead, and you know them. We need to make our sport modern, competitive and attractive," Medvedev was quoted as telling Zhukov by Kremlin officials.
"There's a need to restructure the way the Olympic committee works, to bring in real professionals, modern-day managers instead of the old sports bureaucrats.”
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