KHANTY-MANSIYSK SPORTS FACILITIES MEET HIGH INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND ARE READY TO HOST THE WINTER PARALYMPIC GAMES "WE ARE TOGETHER. SPORT".
KHANTY-MANSIJSK, March 17. /TASS/. Khanty-Mansiysk has managed to prepare for the Winter Paralympic Games "We are together. Sport". The sport venues meet the most rigid international requirements. This was stated by Acting President of the Russian Paralympic Committee Pavel Rozhkov at a press conference.
"Our Chinese colleagues have been preparing [for the Beijing Paralympics] for seven years, Yugra for seven days. We went through all the sports facilities, they meet the toughest international requirements. It's not just my opinion - each facility has senior coaches, and they are the main technologists, they have the credit that all our facilities meet the highest level. Where there were difficult moments, representatives of other regions help, for example, representatives of Sakhalin came," Rozhkov said.
"Everything is ready, installed, all the equipment, everything you need for journalists, judges, wax cabins, the track is super modern, not inferior to the track in Beijing or Sochi. The ski facilities are also ready, we had to build a slide in a short period of time. Today we made a decision that the competitions will take place not on March 18th, but on the 19th (Saturday - by TASS comment), when the residents of Khanty-Mansiysk will be able to come and see our great athletes. As for curling, it's a unique place where the competitions will be held, Anton Batugin (Russian national wheelchair curling team senior coach - by TASS comment) prepares the area by himself, he fills the area by the hour", - added Rozhkov.
He stressed that Russian coaches are ready to help develop Paralympic disciplines in other countries. "In sledge hockey, the Khanty-Mansiysk team is the leading one in Russia, and that says it all. Teams from Armenia and Kazakhstan are beginners, we help them to progress as much as possible, we have such experience - the Chinese, we sent our specialist Nikolay Sharshukov, they became the third in three years, it's a serious result. We will hold master classes in both curling and sledge hockey."
Rozhkov noted that Russian athletes were supported in their regions and aim to show the highest results. "After Beijing, the team rested, the athletes came charged with the attitude they received from the people of our country, their regions. The athletes aim to show the best results."
"Our Chinese colleagues have been preparing [for the Beijing Paralympics] for seven years, Yugra for seven days. We went through all the sports facilities, they meet the toughest international requirements. It's not just my opinion - each facility has senior coaches, and they are the main technologists, they have the credit that all our facilities meet the highest level. Where there were difficult moments, representatives of other regions help, for example, representatives of Sakhalin came," Rozhkov said.
"Everything is ready, installed, all the equipment, everything you need for journalists, judges, wax cabins, the track is super modern, not inferior to the track in Beijing or Sochi. The ski facilities are also ready, we had to build a slide in a short period of time. Today we made a decision that the competitions will take place not on March 18th, but on the 19th (Saturday - by TASS comment), when the residents of Khanty-Mansiysk will be able to come and see our great athletes. As for curling, it's a unique place where the competitions will be held, Anton Batugin (Russian national wheelchair curling team senior coach - by TASS comment) prepares the area by himself, he fills the area by the hour", - added Rozhkov.
He stressed that Russian coaches are ready to help develop Paralympic disciplines in other countries. "In sledge hockey, the Khanty-Mansiysk team is the leading one in Russia, and that says it all. Teams from Armenia and Kazakhstan are beginners, we help them to progress as much as possible, we have such experience - the Chinese, we sent our specialist Nikolay Sharshukov, they became the third in three years, it's a serious result. We will hold master classes in both curling and sledge hockey."
Rozhkov noted that Russian athletes were supported in their regions and aim to show the highest results. "After Beijing, the team rested, the athletes came charged with the attitude they received from the people of our country, their regions. The athletes aim to show the best results."