Include chess in the Olympic program

Deputy PM to head Russia’s Olympic committee
By GARY PEACH (AP) – 3 hours ago

MOSCOW — Russia must rebound from its disastrous performance at the Vancouver Olympics by topping the medals table at the 2014 Winter Games on home soil in Sochi, the new head of Russia’s national Olympic committee said.

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov was elected president of the Olympic committee Thursday as part of a shakeup following the debacle in Vancouver, where Russia won only three gold medals and 15 medals overall — its worst ever result.

Zhukov said Russia must first compete successfully at the 2012 Summer Games in London by at least matching its performance from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

After that, he said, Russia “must win the overall team rankings in Sochi in 2014.”

“We all understand that our success in hosting the Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games will be directly dependent on the successful performance of Russian athletes,” Zhukov said.

“Our goals are ambitious, but achievable,” he added.

After the Vancouver Games, President Dmitry Medvedev and many lawmakers called for the resignation of the country’s top sports officials. Zhukov’s predecessor, Leonid Tyagachev, resigned in March.

Zhukov, a seasoned official with vast experience in finance and budget policy, was the only candidate on the secret ballot and received 204 of the 213 votes cast by Olympic committee members. There were five votes against and four invalid ballots.

As deputy premier, Zhukov has overseen construction and preparations for the 2014 Games in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

As deputy to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Zhukov is expected to wield his influence to better coordinate efforts between Russia’s disparate sports authorities, which include a ministry, several Olympic-related organizations and dozens of sports federations.

…One of his proposals will be to open an Olympic health clinic where athletes could receive improved services and recover from serious injuries. Another is to provide athletes with training so they will have career opportunities once they retire from sports.

Zhukov, who headed the country’s chess federation between 2003 and 2009, also said he would try to convince the International Olympic Committee to include chess in the Olympic program.

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