By Aleksei Illiuviev
We all know that this year’s key sports event that made all the world play football, contracting sports infection is FIFA World Cup. I am proud that Indian journalists followed by FIFA President Gianni Infantinonamed this Championship the best in FIFA history, and not only for its organization. What legacy will this event give to the world and India?
The main legacy, lesson, I suppose, will be the consciousness that human’s chances, opportunities are equal. We all can win. It does not matter whether we are an elite team or not. Elites change. It all depends very much on our willingness to perform, to achieve the best results. Russia has achieved the best result in 32 years (I was waiting for it for almost all of my lifetime).
The equality in sports is in line with Russia’s attempts to depoliticize sports. We have held this outstanding event instead of unprecedented political pressure from the West. Russia supports sports autonomy and independence internationally, including the United Nations platform. Our country initiated the corresponding amendments to the UN resolution “Sport as a means to promote education, health, development and peace”. Russian diplomacy backed the inclusion of sport among the priorities of the Global Development Agenda Beyond 2015.
The other great legacy of this World Cup, very valuable for India is that international sports event made by the country open to receive foreign guests drastically changes its image for the better. Russia, like India is rather a source of filtered negative, sometimes fake news for Western media.And when it comes to meeting the reality face to face the old image is erased. The event also changes the host country people’s state of mind. We have never seen crowds of singing South American fans in the streets of our rural cities. Looking at them we understand that we are a part of one world.
The successful Russian and American Presidents Summit held in Helsinki is one of the seeds brought by the Championship’s spirit of openness.
The game has clearly proven the importance of being spiritually open. One’s attempts to isolate makes oneself isolated. As the British Government declined to attend the World Cup and support its team the players were motivated much less than others backed by their countries’ leaders in Russia, such as Croatia, France and others.
We are open to receive Indian and all foreign guests and participants for multiple large-scale championships Russia will have in the coming years including annual Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix and 2019 World Winter Universiade Games. Starting coming weeks all foreign guests of FIFA 2018 obtaining FAN ID Card will be able to visit Russia visa free by the end of this year.
Among the recent most prominent sport events in Russia in which India successfully performed were Sochi Olympic Games 2014, 2015 FINA Swimming Championship, 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan. Russia is ready to receive requests from Indian side to participate in September 7 to 9 FINA qualifying contest to be held in Kazan.We take this opportunity to congratulate MrRamesgbabuPraggnanandhaa, the second youngest person ever to achieve the title of grandmaster and welcome him to participate in international chess tournaments held in Russia including Aeroflot Open 2019.
Amid the latest achievements by Russian athletes in India is the first prize in international football tournament among the diplomatic missions in New Delhi won this June.The teams from Russia, Denmark, Germany, Kazakhstan, China, France and the UN took part in the sport competition dedicated to 2018 FIFA World Cup.We are very glad that the Embassy’s initiative on holding the first football championship among the diplomatic missions of New Delhi was supported by the Indian Government and the diplomatic corps.
A memorable part of history became India Russia Friendship Motor Rally stretching for 19 days this May from Mumbaito St. Petersburg through Delhi and Bandar Abbas, Iran comprising 70 participants from India, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia to cover 19,235 kilometres by road and 1,960 nautical miles by sea. The team will have participants. This rally organized under the aegis of Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India and the Russian Embassy in New Delhi served to promote connectivity between India and Russia and trade through the International North South Transport Corridor, as well as direct people-to-people contacts, which will further strengthen the existing bilateral relations.
No doubt, to develop bilateral sports interaction Russia and India are by no means limited to participating in each other’s countries or joint sport events. As stipulated in 2017 cultural exchanges agreement, the Parties shall promote cooperation between national level sports organizations and federations as well as exchanges of sports coaches and experts in different fields of physical culture and sports.
We welcome Indian sports delegations to Russia to exchange the training experience in many sports. Russia is impressed by Indian achievements in such sports as badminton in Australian, Indonesian and Malaysian Super Series, cricket and shooting in World Cups, weightlifting in Asia Youth Games, para athletics in World Para Athletics Championships, wrestling in Asian Wrestling Championships, shot put in Asian Grand Prix.
The Russian side has also much to offer for training Indian athletes. We can share experience in successful implementing of national pilot sports programs. I suppose such Russian projects as Children and Youth Olympic Reserve Schools Support, Social Inclusion Through Sports, Active Elderly People will be of a high interest to Indian Government. Our country has established cooperation with international financial institutions in funding these initiatives, provided free access to Moscow sports infrastructure to elderly people, made a significant progress in recent years in financing youth sports.
It’s a privilege to know that India has its personal storyabout Russian sports achievements. This is a recently published book “My Journey from Mohali to St. Petersburg” by an ordinary young Indian girl, MsAnanya Kamboj who participated last year in Indian Football for Friendship Program and spent eight eventful days in St. Petersburg. The international program aims to promote youth sports and foster tolerance, respect to other cultures and ethnicities. Ananya decided to share about the things she learnt and experienced in Russia as well as about the importance of football, particularly in India.
I consider everyone’s personal story is very much related to sports. Not all of us are athletes, but all of us are achievers. Russia will do its best to achieve a sustainable cooperation in sports with India, our strategic partner. (The author is Second Secretary Russian Embassy in India)