Skip to main content

Alexander Alexandrov shows confidence in Russian team for Rotterdam

Russian team coach Alexander Alexandrov has expressed some optimism about the Russian women's prospects at the upcoming world championships.

http://www.sportgymrus.ru/press/news/4066/default.aspx

He feels that Mustafina is a good prospect for the all around; and makes special mention of Nabieva's straight Tkachev-Pak combination as 'unique and historic'.

And I have to say, Tanya Nabieva is quite probably the fastest improving gymnast I have ever seen - hope she will do well in Rotterdam.

If, like me, you struggle to read Russian and find Google translations somewhat bizarre, try International Gymnast online for a better translation.

Comments

  1. Bourdieu says in 'distinction' that there are as many different capitals as there are fields of struggle. If sport is the subject of a struggle for distinction (econmically, culturally etc) then he would expect their to be a form of symbolic capital associated with it that would be unequally distributed between the haves and the have nots. I read Clive Barnett et al's 'culture, class distinction' recently which updates Bourdieu for the contemporary UK (sadly not russia!), but which places the emphasis not on cultural consumption as bourdieu does, but in participation. I'm guessing Gymnastics is a sport (art?) with quite high barriers to entry and so I'd expect that participation, active and passive, would denote a form of status distinction. To be fair though, I'm just guessing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well, there's some more reading for me - thank you. I think this does add quite a lot to think about!
    Does it necessarily have to be ethnically/nationally bound? I suppose different cultures do have different ways of seeing ...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Full bibliographic references for James' reading suggestions above are now added to the bibliography.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sorry - should have used Harvard. If our students found out I'd never live it down! I don't think it has to be bound in those ways. Lots of people criticise bourdieu for being either 1) too french in his frame of reference or 2) too structuralist and not open enough to that kind of diversity. I don't think either of those criticisms really hold, but he made such a point of saying that all theoretical work should be grounded in fieldwork that it was kind of inevitable that he kept his research within his own boundaries....

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks James. I can feel something with a little more depth coming on ......... ooer.

    I'm using this site as a repository for useful references so that I don't ever lose sight of anything useful again ... that's the plan, anyway. Know how to back up a blog?

    ReplyDelete
  6. hmmmm...not sure! will find out...

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Andrei Rodionenko explains Russia's performance at Worlds - Lupitatranslates

Rodionenko with European Champion David Belyavski  Courtesy RGF/Elena Mikhailova This is the interview that many people on the internet have already commented on, regarding Andrei Rodionenko's alleged racism.  The original, Russian language version, appears on VTB Bank's website (VTB are sponsors of Russian gymnastics).  It takes cleverer people than me to decide what is racism, what is deliberately perjorative, and what is inferred in an interviewer's question.  For now, I will not comment on this, therefore, but I would ask you to read Lupita's translation carefully before you form your own opinion.   I am providing some links below which might help you to decide where you stand. Definition of racism Definition of sexism BBC Sport article by Matthew Syed : Is it wrong to note that 100m winners are always black?            Updated 24/10 CSKA Moscow: UEFA opens racist chants case             http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24654499 Andrei

Review of Russian WAG at the 2014 World Championships

The Russians during a team talk in training for the World Championships.  Courtesy RGF Bronze all the way for Russia then.  Beyond the euphoria and surprise of this morning's competition there doesn't really seem to be much to write home about. I am delighted for Aliya personally that the efforts she has made to help the team have provided her with some tangible result, but the principal feeling at the end of the competition is that of relief.  As Vaitsekhovskaya said in her article last week, there were no moments of shock and awe from the Russians, and that's what will be needed if they are to compete for gold medals in Rio (translation available here ). Let's consider a timeline of the competition : before, during and after. BEFORE The promise of a return to the Worlds stage by Viktoria Komova gave Russia a feeling of optimism pre-Russia Cup.  However, Viktoria's performance at this important competition gave little reason for celebration.  Ye

Russia Cup - the road to Nanning!

The Russian MAG and WAG teams take their preparation for World Championships in Nanning one step further this week, as key players compete in the annual Russia Cup in Penza.  There will be team, all around and event finals. The WAG team Last year the gymnasts were rather depleted and suffering the effects of injury; this year the national squad is still short of some of its top members, but has greater diversity and experience up and coming into the ranks, so it will be an interesting time.  Last year saw St Petersburg gymnast and fan favourite Tatiana Nabiyeva lead the all around, ahead of Alla Sosnitskaya, Anna Pavlova, Anna Rodionova, Ekaterina Kramarenko and Polina Fyodorova.  With the individual-only World Championships up coming in Antwerp, I remember writing that Russia might well decide to send a team of only three gymnasts, such was the paucity of available talent.  The final reckoning saw Russia fare a little better than this, although performance lacked depth and re

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more