Officials Deny Russian Olympic Flop at Halfway Point

© RIA Novosti . Mikhail Mokrushin / Go to the mediabankAlexander Zhukov
Alexander Zhukov - Sputnik International
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Russian sports officials have lined up this week to deny the country’s Olympic performance has been a failure, despite the nation trailing in eighth place and two team coaches resigning over their teams’ performances.

Russian sports officials have lined up this week to deny the country’s Olympic performance has been a failure, despite the nation trailing in eighth place and two team coaches resigning over their teams’ performances.

A “silver streak” has hit the Russian team instead of a “gold streak,” President of Russia’s Olympic Committee Alexander Zhukov told Gazeta.ru daily on Sunday. Zhukov pinned his hopes on the second week of the games, when medals will be awarded in events in which Russia has traditionally excelled, such as wrestling, synchronized swimming, and gymnastics.

He said it was unfair to compare Russia’s performance with the achievements of the former USSR team, as Russia was now facing strong competition from its former co-nationals.

“Kazakhstan has five medals – all golds. Many people compare the results of the Russian team with the results of the USSR team, and that’s a striking example of what not to do,” Zhukov said.

“Our former compatriots strip us of many medals. It turns out that at least three of our gold medals have turned to silver ones,” he added.

Zhukov claimed Russia’s haul of 35 medals the country won over the first five days of the Olympic Games “is an achievement showing we rank among the leading sports countries.”

Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, who said earlier the government would make “very tough” changes to the country’s sports federations after national athletes put in disappointing performances at the start of the Olympics, softened his tone in an interview with Business FM channel on Sunday.

“I do not know what tough measures you are speaking about,” Mutko said, when asked what he planned to introduce.

“Of course, there are several sports in which our teams partially fell short of our expectations. Of course we’ll have to make serious decisions on their further development and enhancement so that we can challenge our colleagues from other countries before the Brazilian Olympics,” Mutko said.

Russia’s current performance is “what it should have been,” Mutko said, claiming Russia would fight back this week.  

“We are traditionally regarded as the heirs of the Soviet team…We’re pinning hopes on the second week of the games…the kinds of sports in which we can improve our position in the medal count are now beginning. Our foreign colleagues are now exhausting their potential.”

When asked whether he might lose his job if Russian athletes perform poorly during the second week of the Olympics, Mutko said he should not be blamed for the low medal count.

“Look, I am a minister - I do not swim, do not shoot, my task is to create the conditions. Today there are all of the necessary conditions.”

Mutko said Russia’s society as a whole is responsible for the nation’s Olympics performance. “This is the level of development of our society, science, medical science, and pharmacology.”

Last year, Russia’s then-President Dmitry Medvedev said Mutko would bear full responsibility for the performance of the Russian team at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Prior to the 2012 Olympics, Mutko said Russia would strive for third place in the overall medal race, and claimed he was ready to resign if Russia failed.

Last week, Mutko singled out shooting and fencing as examples of sports where Russia had failed to fulfill its potential.

On Sunday, Russia's head fencing coach Vladislav Pavlovich announced plans to quit after the team flopped at the Olympics.

"I sent in my resignation," Pavlovich told Russian media. "I have no idea whether the federation will accept it or not but I did it yesterday as our squad failed to fulfill the plan for the Olympic Games."

The Russian squad grabbed three fencing medals at the Olympics, but failed to win a gold. Sofia Velikaya in the women's sabre and the women's foil team won silver medals, while Nikolai Kovalev took the bronze in the men's sabre. Russia had set a target of two golds, two silvers and two bronze medals for London.

Hours after the country’s fencing coach announced he would leave, Russia’s shooting coach Igor Zolotarev said he intended to resign after a poor showing at the Olympics.

“I take full responsibility and intend to write a [resignation] note,” Zolotarev said. “For me it’s the biggest defeat of my life. I feel I’ve let down the team and can’t be its leader.”

Last month, the government proposed a change in the law allowing it to hire and fire the leadership of any sports federation that receives more than half its funding from the state.

Russia's Aliya Mustafina became the Olympic champion in women's uneven bars on Monday.

Mustafina scored 16.133 score, beating reigning Chinese Olympic champion He Kexin, who took silver with 15.933 points.

It was the first gymnastics gold for Russia in London and also the first women's gold for the country.

Russian Yelena Isinbayeva goes for a third Olympic gold medal on Monday, aiming to prove she remains the undisputed queen of women's pole vaulting.

The 30-year-old world record holder, who has suffered some bitter defeats during the last three seasons, sailed through qualification, needing only two vaults to secure safe passage to the final.

 

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