In the spring, Izvestia several times wrote about the problems that plagued our team. Summer has passed, but the situation has not improved - rather the opposite. At the start of the new season, the men's national team threatens to go on strike.
Recall that in March, our "shooting skiers" announced a vote of no confidence in the coaches. The reaction of the Russian Biathlon Union (RBU) was instantaneous: a competition was announced and new mentors were selected. However, some of the requirements of the athletes were never fulfilled, which caused a new surge of emotions. On October 9, the team went to snow preparation: men - in Ramsau, Austria, women - in Nakyungri in Yakutia. The departure took place in a stressful state: the members of both teams remain completely ignorant of their future. “For three months now, the SBR leaders have been repeating to us that they have found a new general sponsor - the Viessmann company. But we did not see any of its representatives or contracts. We promised to familiarize us with all the documents today, but they deceived us,” said team captain Pavel Rostovtsev outraged. The team, gathered at the Sheremetyevo airport, was buzzing like a beehive.
The Russian biathlon, as well as many other sports, owes its success to sponsors in many respects - after all, budget money is sorely lacking. Thanks to them, in particular, athletes received additional food, cartridges, paid for the services of the service team. “Now there’s nothing of this. In the summer, we had to buy cartridges and skis for our money,” says Rostovtsev. “The SBR leadership asked us to be patient. But now the deadline has come!” The women's team was also outraged: when flying to Neryungri, she was forced to pay for baggage from her own pocket.
As a result, both teams left for the snow in incomplete composition - without servicemen (although athletes should get new skis at this training camp and start their run-in), a biochemist, and the required number of cartridges and medicines. “Moreover, because of all these delays, we missed the time to conclude personal contracts with sponsors,” Rostovtsev continues. “Personally, I was forced to refuse several offers because I don’t know how much advertising will remain from the general sponsor for my personal partners " Other team members echoed the words of the captain - Sergey Rozhkov, Nikolay Kruglov, Ivan Cherezov, Maxim Chudov.
The emotions of the athletes are clear: for the last two years the team had a general sponsor, but the contract expired in June this year, and they did not renew it. “We want the reporting and election conference, which will name the leaders and sponsors of the union, to be held as soon as possible,” says Pavel Rostovtsev, “so that we again have the opportunity to calmly train and have everything we need. If this does not happen, we will go to extreme measures! "
Meanwhile, the voice of the biathletes, it seems, no one hears. The Council of the RRF, which was supposed to name the date of the reporting and election conference at its September meeting in Ufa, never announced it. The correspondent of "Izvestia" in the SBR could not name any specific dates either. A few days remain before the start of the season ...