Russian gymnastics 'will be difficult to rebuild' while Rodionenko remains, says Alexandrov

In an interview with Alexander Alexandrov in this month's (January/February) edition of International Gymnast magazine, the former head coach of Russian WAG makes it clear that his opinions of the problems of Russian gymnastics have remained the same since his August  conversation with RRG.  

Alexandrov looks ahead to his job in Rio and elsewhere in Brazil, and discusses some of the prospects; I'll leave that to the excellent Brazil gym blogs to cover.  However, despite his current commitment as Head of the Brazil WAG team, he takes pains to comment on the somewhat dismal state of affairs on the Russia WAG team.  At one point he goes so far as to say

'I personally believe that there should be separate programs for the development and growth of the sport for the entire country, and these programs should be different.  This in my opinion will help to develop and raise the 'masses' and will help with the retention problem in gymnastics.

One of the main problems Russia has today is that there is practically no reserve.  Andrei Rodionenko does not agree with this point of view and measures, so there is very little retention to this day.  I think that as long as the Rodionenkos are in charge of the sport, rebuilding the Russian gymnastics program will be very problematic.'

Alexandrov is here clarifying and adding to the discussion of gymnast and coach retention which has recently been the subject of an open letter to Rodionenko on VK.com, published by Chelyabinsk coach Andrei Telitsyn.  The letter highlighted the problematic nature of raising the difficulty standard for Master of Sport qualification.  Alexandrov himself had raised the same issue at an a executive meeting of the RGF prior to his departure from Moscow and discusses its importance in some depth in his RRG August interview. These issues are important because they are ultimately designed to make the sport sustainable in the Russian Federation. 

Alexandrov continues, discussing some of the circumstances surrounding the preparation of the Olympic team, his relationship with the Rodionenkos and the financing of Russian gymnastics, before considering his work in Brazil.  

The fact that Alexandrov continues to speak out on this matter, some six months after his departure from his home country, is extraordinary.  His tone is becoming increasingly statesmanlike as he addresses issues and suggests solutions, on both a local and international level. He also addresses the widely held concerns about the Code of Points and artistry, suggesting that the FIG will need to call a meeting of coaches soon in order to resolve some of the problems. 

'Surely', he says, 'collectively we can come up with agreeable solutions that will benefit both the artistry and difficulty'.

Related reading

The implications of Alexander Alexandrov's August interview with this blog.

Review of 2013 in Russian gymnastics

'It is my opinion that the sooner Rodionenkos go from Russian gymnastics, the sooner Russian gymnastics will be able to breathe' 

The state of the art - gymnastics in 2013