Head of Russian Sports State Committee Intends to Make Sport an Effective Economic Sector

Chairman of the State Sports Committee of Russia Vyacheslav Fetisov deems it to be a major task of his organisation to ensure a rise in sports not only as an object of the country's national pride but also as an effective economic sector. He stated this on Tuesday at the opening of the practical conference The Role of Sponsorship and Advertising in the Development of Russian Sport.

As he said, this conference is called upon to draw the attention of the executive and legislative branches of state authority, of the local authorities, and of representatives of Big Business to the problems of the development of sport and sports industry in Russia.

Fetisov deems it wrong that "Russian sport as a whole continues by inertia to work according to quite obsolete and outdated rules and models". "Russian sport and sports industry need cardinal transformation," Fetisov emphasised.

According to him, the problems of sport cannot be resolved only through an increase in the budget financing. "Serious attention should be paid to businessmen's activity, it is necessary to show to business how it can participate in the development of Russian sport, what segments of the sports market can bring profitability, which accompanies successful business, at the same time leaving all the levers of management and administration in the hands of the state".

In this connection, Fetisov stressed the importance and necessity of optimising, jointly with the upper and lower chambers of the Russian parliament, the legislative base of the development of physical culture and sports in the country.

Fetisov also noted that Russia has always been a great sports power with tremendous sports traditions. "The fact alone that it has given more than 600 Olympic champions to the world speaks volumes", Fetisov stated.

"We are duty-bound, materialising the potential and talent of the people, taking previous experience into account, and orienting ourselves to the modern models of development, to building an effective mechanism of controlling sport and the sports industry", the head of the State Sports Committee of Russia stated.