Skip to main content

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

By
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


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Melnikova withdrawn from Bundesliga

By
  Angelina Melnikova has issued a statement about her participation in the Bundesliga.     The mayor of Chemnitz has withdrawn the gymnast’s invitation to participate in the final.     Angelina’s words: ‘I didn't receive an invitation to the Bundesliga final. Unfortunately, the public attention and political discussions were much greater than the organizers expected. I am grateful to TSV Tittmoning-Chemnitz for the opportunity to participate in the semi-finals and, most importantly, for their respectful and kind attitude. In Germany, I received tremendous support from spectators, athletes, coaches, and referees. A sports arena is a place where athletes meet each other and demonstrate their abilities in their favorite sport. Sport provides the opportunity to showcase the results of their hard work and athletic prowess. Everyone deserves equal opportunities in all areas of life, and every athlete deserves to compete equally in the sports arena and fulfill their dr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Remembering last summer - Nelli Kim, her judges and Viktoria Komova

By
In view of Nelli Kim's recent interview , Lupita and I thought it timely to revisit the performance of some of the WTC President's judges over past competitions ... this article from 27th August 2012 is reposted here, as a reminder. You will find a link to the FIG's newly published book of results at the Olympic Games here .  This year, they have broken down the judge's execution scores so you can see exactly how each judge evaluated the gymnasts' performances.  It makes for interesting reading - if only I had more time to analyse each judge's marking.  A skim reading already highlights multiple inconsistencies in individual judges' marks and makes you wonder why they bother with the jury at all. I have taken the time to look at the reference judges' scores for the top four in the women's all around.  The FIG explains here what their role is, and how they are selected.  I even used my calculator, which is a risky thing in my hands.  M...
42 comments
Read more

30 years in elite sport: Oksana Chusovitina

By
You've been competing internationally for over 30 years. How has gymnastics changed over that time? Is there anything about your sport that has remained the same for decades? First of all, the age has changed. More mature athletes are competing now, which makes me happy. Secondly, the apparatuses. They've become more comfortable and sophisticated. Gymnastics in general has become more challenging, but in my youth, people performed mostly the same elements as they do now. Back then, this was par for the course, but now it surprises many. It's a bit amusing. Has the nature of the training itself changed? For me personally, absolutely. Now, my life isn't just about my athletic career. I'm involved with the Oksana Chusovitina Academy, which was personally opened by the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. It has 155 students, both girls and boys. I used to train three times a day, but now I train once. The entire afternoon is taken up with the academy and organi...
Post a Comment
Read more

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more