You will read quite a lot on this blog about all the money that the Russian Government and its sponsors, VTB, are investing in Russian sport. Head coach Andrei Rodionenko has acknowledged VTB's help in establishing new training centres across the country, including the town of Rostov-on-Don which has famous associations as the training home of champions Liudmilla Tourischeva, Natalia Shaposhnikova and Natalia Yurchenko, and more recently of Elena Produnova, Yulia Belokobylskaya and senior national team member Anastasia Sidorova. Sports are considered an important part of the country's social policy, and mega events such as the upcoming Sochi Olympics, this year's Universiade in Kazan, and the 2014 Football World Cup have the potential to contribute enormously to the economy by improving infrastructure and providing opportunities to develop tourism. Yet, as we have seen in the arrangements made for Dynamo Moscow while their new training facilities are built, these po...
Reporting and analysing Russian gymnastics since 2010. Includes original and exclusive interviews with leading coaches and gymnasts, and historical issues dating back to the Soviet Union. The first blog to report extensively on the sport using Russian language sources. I read, I argue, and I have opinions. Be warned.