******
______________________________
Editor’s Foreword:
I checked this against some Russian sources and made minor changes. I wanted you to have the full impact of President Putin’s “take” on this.
BMD
******
Interviewer:
From the point of view of the public and media, the London Paralympics was a breakthrough. According to the audience ratings, its popularity was no less than of the Olympic Games. Will Sochi 2014 be able to open a new chapter in history?
Putin:
Let’s start with the fact that UK is the birthplace of the Paralympic Games. We should thank Ludwig Guttmann, a talented neurosurgeon from the English town of Stoke Mandeville, who held the first sporting event for disabled people. He worked in rehabilitating patients with spinal cord injuries, mostly veterans of the Second World War; he proved that sport and physical activity help patients to recover, to believe in themselves and in their strength, and to return to normal life. In 1948, Guttmann organised the Stoke-Mandeville Barrier Games that became the prototype of the Paralympics. Our country took part in the Paralympic Games since the 1980s, and it has good and strong traditions, especially in cross-country skiing and ice sledge hockey. We’ve also showed good results in curling and downhill skiing.
In general, Paralympic sport and its remarkable athletes are attracting more and more attention. The athletes themselves have done much to draw attention to and popularise the Paralympic Games; their success is remarkable. We have no doubt that the Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi will find an audience. In addition, we’ll intensively broadcast these events. The Russian company “Panorama”, specifically created for the Games in Sochi, will offer international television coverage of the Paralympic Games. Taking into consideration its outstanding work broadcasting the Olympics, I’m sure that it’ll show the Paralympics in all its intensity, in all its competition, in no less bright and full colours. The TV audience of London Games exceeded 3.5 billion people. It’s important to strive for similar results, but not for the sake of statistics. Paralympic competition can have a most powerful positive impact on society, on people’s minds. Determined Paralympic athletes literally share their energy; they show each of us what it means to be purposeful, to have a winning personality, what it actually means to be honest and have a dynamic view on life. In brief, I urge everyone to visit and watch the Paralympics in Sochi and to follow it in the media.
******
******
______________________________
Interviewer:
In many countries, Paralympians complain about the lack of support from the public and businesses. In Russia, the state actively supports sport for disabled people. Could we strengthen it further, for instance, through promoting it in business circles?
Putin:
In most places, Paralympic sport developed largely due to government support. we implemented a range of measures that really contributed to the success of our Paralympians, starting from improving their health and logistics, up to an increase in state payments based on performance at international competitions. Let me remind you, before 2008, state payments for Paralympians and Deaflympians were less than those for Olympians. That wasn’t fair… today, athletes that represent Russia at the Olympics, Paralympics, and Deaflympics receive the same awards… for a gold medal, they get 4 million roubles (110,000 USD. 122,000 CAD. 122,000 AUD. 80,000 Euros. 66,000 UK Pounds), for a silver, they get 2.5 million roubles (69,000 USD. 76,000 CAD. 76,000 AUD. 50,000 Euros. 42,000 UK Pounds), and for a bronze, they get 1.7 million roubles (47,000 USD. 52,000 CAD. 52,000 AUD. 34,000 Euros. 28,000 UK Pounds). Since 2012, we’ve increased payments based on results gained in performance at World and European championships.
In addition, we’ve increased the number of monthly Presidential grants from 500 to 700, which we award for special achievement to athletes, coaches, and other specialists on our Paralympic and Deaflympics teams. At the same time, we’ve increased the amount of such grants from 15,000 to 32,000 roubles (414 to 883 USD. 456 to 970 CAD. 456 to 970 AUD. 300 to 637 Euros. 247 to 527 UK Pounds) a month. If we were to talk about the support of our Paralympic teams by business and community organisations, I’m sure that’ll increase with each passing year. Over the past decade, we’ve seen a dramatic change in the attitude towards disabled people. By the way, the success of our Paralympians contributed greatly to the growing popularity of the Paralympic Movement.
Interviewer:
Do you think that the Paralympic Games will attract more disabled people to take up sport? If so, how will the state support their growing needs?
Putin:
I’d like to remind that a key mission of the Paralympic Movement is to increase an interest in sport and to help disabled people integrate fully in the life of society. I’m sure that Paralympics in Sochi will contribute to carry out these tasks further, will involve more disabled people in sport, and bring more to train. In general, we want to help them build confidence in themselves, in their own strength and abilities. The most striking achievement of our Paralympians is their will to win; they set a heroic standard… that disabled people can have active, full, and successful lives. Of course, there’s still a lot that we must do in Russia to ensure that sport infrastructure is available for such citizens and we’ll continue to create multi-use sports facilities, improve training of teachers in adaptive physical education, so that disabled people have equal opportunities for sport and self-realisation.
Special programmes like “Development of Physical Culture and Sports” and “Accessible Environment” do a lot of work in this direction. Largely due to implementing these programs, in the last three years, the number of disabled people engaged in sport doubled in Russia, it now exceeds 500,000 people. We’ve set a goal to create conditions so that by 2020 2.5 million disabled people will be able to exercise regularly. To promote physical education and sport among young disabled people, we’ll hold nation-wide contests in the various sports in the Paralympic and Deaflympics programmes. During the summer Spartakiad in 2011, 1,257 athletes from 56 federal subjects took part, in the winter Spartakiad of 2013, 475 athletes from 38 federal subjects competed. The next Spartakiad is due in 2015, and the necessary preparations for it are already underway.
******
******
______________________________
Interviewer:
Sochi will be the first city with a fully accessible environment for the disabled; there are plans in the near future to ensure full accessibility in Moscow. What should we do to ensure this accessibility across Russia?
Putin:
The setup of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi actually set new standards for modern urban planning based on creating accessible spaces for disabled people. Both residents and many visitors appreciated it. I’d point up that Russia ratified the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities in 2008. We’re trying to set up a so-called barrier-free environment, aimed to give a full and equal access to disabled people and people with limited mobility to engineering, transport, and social infrastructure, to means of communication is now developing all over the country as part of the state programme “Accessible Environment”. We started its implementation in 2011, providing it significant resources, more than 180 billion roubles (4.97 billion USD. 5.46 billion CAD. 5.46 billion AUD. 3.58 billion Euros. 2.97 billion UK Pounds).Of course, we have to do a lot of work here, because, essentially, we’re only at the beginning, but we can already see the first results. For example, we see it in our making sports facilities accessible, in developing adaptive physical education and sports. Currently, this kind of institution is present in 40 federal subjects, and by the end of 2015, they’ll appear in 13 more. Youth sports schools opened profile departments in 26 federal subjects. In addition, by the end of 2015, we plan to prepare more than 1,400 professionals capable of providing professional training services.
Interviewer:
How might the Paralympic Games influence people’s attitude towards the disabled, to make a change towards more acceptance? Shall it give disabled people a shot at real equality? Do you think that the Paralympics will become a symbol of the growth of acceptance?
Putin:
The very appearance of the Paralympics radically changed the public’s perception of disabled people. They broke down existing stereotypes; they maintain that a person’s real power lies within them, in their ability to overcome any difficulty. Guttmann started competitions between disabled people for medical and rehabilitation purposes, but they turned into a sporting event of international level. In emotions and level of struggle, they’re in no way inferior to any other competition. Therefore, I’m sure, the popularity and interest in the Paralympics will grow. Moreover, this is very important. The example of the Paralympians, their courage and dignity, inspire us, give us hope, and change our lives for the better. The immense humanistic potential of the Paralympic movement has no equal in the moral education of society and of our youth, in establishing principles of equal opportunities, in creating conditions so that everyone can fulfil their personal, creative, and professional capabilities, and for a secure and decent life for all citizens without exception.
******
******
_______________________________
Interviewer:
The Russian Paralympic team always performs very well. What do you expect from the Russian athletes in Sochi?
Putin:
It’s not good to think too far ahead, especially, in sport, where there’s a chance of accidents, and other things beyond the control of the athletes. However, Russia, of course, has reason to believe in the victory of our Paralympic team. In the past qualifying season, they won first place in the unofficial team standings and did it with a very good margin over the nearest competitors. Our Russian Paralympic team has always pleased the fans. Let’s remember the last Winter Paralympics in Turin in 2008. We took first place in the team standings, as well as in Vancouver in 2010, where we were second in the number of gold medals won, but we were first in the total number of medals. I want to note that the Russian Paralympic team in Vancouver participated in only three out of five types of sports, where 31 athlete performed. For Sochi, we’ve prepared a team of 64 people; we’ll compete for six types out of 72 sets of medals. Amongst them are biathlon, skiing, wheelchair curling, ice sledge hockey, and para-snowboard, which is a new programme for the Paralympic Winter Games. Therefore, there’s much hope for another victory. Our athletes are ready. The main thing left is good luck and support from our fans.
Interviewer:
Do you personally know any Paralympians? What do you consider the most impressive thing about them?
Putin:
What’s most impressive in people that’re able to overcome the most difficult, sometimes tragic, conditions, not merely to learn to live in a new environment, within new physical limitations, but also to achieve success? Of course, it’s their personal courage, dedication, and tremendous strength of spirit and will. There are enough examples of quite healthy successful people, who come across not so significant everyday problems, but they just go limp and give up. In contrast, the story of each Paralympian is a story of victory over oneself, over illness, over difficult circumstances. It really can’t leave anyone apathetic. I’ve met Paralympians many times, and I can confirm that Paralympians are people of extraordinary character, with a special toughness. We can all learn from their attitude towards life, towards themselves, and towards the outside world.
6 March 2014
Voice of Russia World Service
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_03_06/Paralympians-are-people-of-special-nature-toughness-Putin-8166/
Filed under: disabilities, international organisations, Olympics, patriotic, Russian, sport Tagged: 2012 London Paralympic Games, Ludwig Guttmann, Olympic, Olympic Games, Paralympian, Paralympic, Paralympic Games, Paralympic Winter Games, Paralympics, Russia, Russian, Sochi, Sport, Sports, Vladimir Putin