Published: 6 August, 2008, 12:50
Edited: 6 August, 2008, 12:50
The Russian Prime Minister is in Beijing for Friday’s opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics. In a frank interview with the Chinese Press, Vladimir Putin explains how he stays fit, talks about the importance of sport in
Question: Russia is a sporting country with a lot of potential in many disciplines. In your view, what kind of success will Russian athletes have at the Olympics in Beijing?
Vladimir Putin: There are just a few days before the beginning of the 29th Summer Olympic Games. Now, when millions of people around the world are anxiously waiting for the opening ceremony and performances by the best sportsmen of the world, I would like to wish success to all the participants.
Our Chinese friends, the hosts of the Olympics, deserve a special word of thanks and appreciation for their efforts. I know that for several years the world has been waiting in anticipation for the upcoming event. These games promise to set new records in all aspects. The most modern sporting arenas have been constructed. The broadest infrastructure network has been deployed. The Olympics Committee services demonstrate their efficiency and well-coordinated work.
I am sure the Russian national team will write a bright and unforgettable page in the history of the Beijing Olympics. Our athletes will perform worthily. They will demonstrate their excellent skills and training and they will bring the medals of the purest tint to the treasury of our country’s team.
Making forecasts in sports is a thankless business, especially in contests at such a level. As we know, the Olympic Games are known for producing absolutely unexpected and unpredictable turns and for creating new stars. All the sportsmen there fight until the end, at the edge of their capacities, and at times even beyond them.
I’d like not to talk in advance about any specific achievements. Even Lao Tzu stated: “One who praises himself will not obtain glory”. However, experts highly rate our chances in rhythmic gymnastics, free style wrestling and Greek and Roman wrestling, tennis, boxing, athletics, shooting and synchronized swimming. I also believe that the Russian judo wrestlers will not fail the Russian fans.
May I remind you that in the three recent Olympic Games from 1996 to 2004 our teams have won 243 medals; 85 are gold, 76 silver and 82 bronze. We have a strong position among the three leaders of the unofficial team standings alongside China and the United States. And we believe in Beijing we will not just repeat that success but exceed it as well.
Q: We all know that you are a master of judo and a great lover of sports. Not long ago you challenged the Russian citizens, especially the young people, to participate in sport. Why do you pay such attention to sporting development? Is there any deep meaning to it?
V.P.: Your observation is correct. In recent years we’ve increased our attention on mass sports development. It is important for us, as well as for great sporting achievements. The health of the nation has become one of the key factors in the country’s development – its success and compatibility in the modern world.
Thus we believe that it is especially important to involve the growing generation, children and youth, in sport. And it has to be done from a very young age.
A broad system of measures for maintaining athletics and sports in Russia has been developed and approved by the government. A special law has been implemented and a designated ministry has been formed. Starting from 2006 the federal designated programme called ‘Development of athletics and sports in Russian Federation’ has been implemented. It is intended to last through until 2015. More than 100 billion roubles have been allocated for this project. More than 4,000 sports facilities will be constructed, one third of them in schools and universities. Thus youth and children will be using them first of all. Sports classes have become a significant part of education.
The tradition of big competitions has been returning, such as ‘Presidential contests’, student games, summer and winter Olympics for students and young people in orphanages and boarding schools. For instance, during the regular Russian summer, 5.5 million people have participated in national games in 2008.
The national Sport TV channel was opened in order to increase people’s awareness of sports. During several years of broadcast it has won quite a large audience.
Today more than 21 million people have been regularly playing sport in Russia. But it is not a limit. We believe that by 2012 this number will increase by at least one third.
I know that the Chinese also love sports. In March 2006 I visited Shaolin monastery in Henan Province. On the way there I saw many Chinese students and schoolchildren playing sport in the open air. Such dedication to sport and a healthy lifestyle deserves respect.
Q: You make a great impression on others, even at first sight. Could you tell us how you keep in such excellent physical shape and spirit? How did participating in sport influence you?
V.P.: Yes, sport really helps me to stay fit and to keep my emotional balance. I don’t think that I am going to surprise anybody if I say that physical activity, a healthy way of life and going in for sports regularly are the three simple and universal recipes for good spirits, good health and elevated mood. I try to stick to these rules as far as my working schedule allows.
Sport had a very great influence on forming my character. I began going in for judo when I was a boy. I took a great interest in martial arts, their unique philosophy, the culture of relationship with the rival and the rules of combat.
Judo is good for your body and for your mind. It develops strength, good reactions and endurance. It teaches you to keep yourself prepared, to feel the acuteness of the situation, to see the rival’s strengths and weaknesses and to seek the best result. The most important thing is to constantly perfect your skills and try to improve yourself. One can hardly disagree that all these insights and skills are absolutely essential for a politician.
I am also interested in Alpine skiing. I am a long-time mountain skier, and I do it with great pleasure. It’s a very dynamic kind of sport which requires good technical skills. It is also an active and useful type of recreation and an excellent opportunity to stay fit and energetic and be in a good mood.
I am sure that each kind of sport has its own special attractions. I believe that each person can find a sport to his liking.
Q. What do you expect from the Beijing Olympic Games? Do you think that some individuals in the world would like to politicise the Olympics?
V.P.: The Olympic Games are first and foremost a magnificent sporting holiday. There can hardly be any other event which is more significant and more theatrical and which produces a greater impression on millions of people than the Olympic Games. The Olympic movement is based on the ideals of unity, mutual understanding and co-operation. Any kind of mistrust or confrontation is absolutely alien to it. As Baron Pierre de Coubertin said: “The Olympic Games are a competition of athletes rather than countries.” So, we regard any attempts to politicise the Olympic Games as a breach of the Olympic spirit.
Russia is giving all-round support to the Olympic Games in Beijing. Suffice it to remember that our country was the first to share China’s joy over winning a complicated marathon for the right to host the Olympic Games.
Your experience in organising competitions on this scale and providing technical and communications support is important, interesting and useful to us, especially, as we are getting ready to host the University Games in Kazan and the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.
And of course, I would like to repeat that we are waiting for Russian athletes to perform successfully; we are looking forward to exciting competitions and demonstrations of real skill. We hope for and believe they will be victorious.
I would like to use this occasion to once again thank the Chinese President Hu Jintao for the invitation to attend the Olympic Games’ opening ceremony. I am accepting his invitation and I will come to Beijing without fail.
Q. Thanks to your own initiative and the initiative of the Chinese leadership, Russia has hosted the year of Chinese culture festival while a year of Russian culture festival has been held in China. These two events have significantly advanced our relations. What do you think about the future of Russian-Chinese relations? What aspects of the future work will be in the focus of attention?
V.P.: The year of Chinese culture in Russia and the year of Russian culture in China were unprecedented projects in the history of Russian-Chinese relations. They made it possible to implement many ideas about how to develop our interplay in various fields. More than 600 events in the socio-political, trade, economic, cultural and scientific-technological spheres demonstrated a wide spectrum of our opportunities to continue promoting dialogue between the two countries and to strengthen business partnership, friendship and trust between our peoples.
The most interesting long-term projects will now become regular. They include forums on the economy and political science, scientific conferences, fairs, creative festivals and sport competitions. A year of Russian language in China and a year of Chinese language in Russia will be the next steps on the way to strengthening our interaction in the humanitarian sphere.
I would also like to note the high activity of regions which show great interest in developing mutual relations and considerably advance cross-border co-operation.
Most of these events are aimed at participation of young people, they are meant for those who will continue developing Russian-Chinese relations.
When a terrible tragedy occurred in China, we invited children from the Sichuan province, which was worst hit by the natural disaster, to visit Russia. More than 1,000 children from China will come to Russia for rest and rehabilitation this year. We know that China is a very strong state and can cope with all the problems itself. But in that difficult moment Russia simply felt the need to extend a helping hand to the Chinese people.
The strengthening of the humanitarian and business components of bilateral interaction logically continues a trusting political dialogue between Russia and China. We and our Chinese partners maintain a unique practice of holding bilateral meetings of the heads of government. This mechanism helps us to coordinate the solution of joint tasks, find mutually-acceptable approaches and achieve mutually-beneficial results.
While giving a positive assessment to the Russian-Chinese relations, I would like to express confidence that they will continue developing intensively to the benefit of our states and peoples.
I wish the Beijing Olympic Games every success, of course, and I wish peace and prosperity to the great and friendly people of China.