Today Stanislav Pozdnyakov, the President of the Olympic Committee of Russia held a working meeting with professor  Lev Belousov, the rector of the Russian International Olympic University. They discussed plans of cooperation between ROC and RIOU in the framework of a joint educational program, as well as the participation of university representatives in the Eastern Economic Forum, which will be held next year in Vladivostok.

– Cooperation with RIOU, of course, contributes to the strengthening of the ROC's relations with the international community and the advancement of our humanitarian interests in the world, – noted Stanislav Pozdnyakov. – In the short term, we will definitely hold one of the meetings of the ANOC Commission on Culture and Education, which I will head at the RIOU site in Sochi. I am confident that the knowledge and experience of the Olympic University staff will help us in the implementation of various educational projects, including international projects. RIOU is well known far beyond the borders of our country – high school graduates are representatives of 50 countries of the world. The development in this direction is a priority of the Russian Olympic Committee not only for the next year, but also for the foreseeable future.

– Today, you have agreed with  professor Lev Belousov the participation of RIOU in the Eastern Economic Forum - 2019. How does this relate to the agreements and memorandum of cooperation that you plan to sign in the framework of the EEF-2019? 

– In the agreements that we plan to sign at the EEF-2019 with the Olympic Committee of Japan and the NOCs of other countries we will separately focus on the participation of our partners in the RIOU educational programs. This is one of the important practical steps that we can take in the framework of successful implementation of bilateral agreements. One of the topics of our panel discussion in the framework of the EEF will be devoted to the Olympic legacy, which vivid and successful example is RIOU. We will be happy to share experiences with colleagues from Japan, Korea and China, whom we have already invited to Vladivostok. 

Lev Belousov stressed that one of the main projects of RIOU and ROC in the outgoing year was the launch of the short-term program “Master of Sports Management”.

– RIOU is the humanitarian legacy of the Olympic Games in Sochi, an integral part of Russian Olympic education, –reminded Lev Belousov in an interview with the ROC Information Service. – Our university is developing dynamically. RIOU turns 10 years old next year. During this scanty time for educational institutions, the RIOU made, without exaggeration, a qualitative breakthrough in the field of education – sports management. It is very important that our work is not limited to the borders of Russia. We gave quality education to students from 50 countries, and among the teaching staff – professors from 11 countries.

A manifestation of RIOU special attitude to the Russian Olympians and evidence of our constant search for the optimal set of training courses was the launch of “Master of Sports Management” program this year. We proceeded, first of all, from the needs of potential students. As you know, the first step from the pedestal is inevitably step down. The task of RIOU is to provide athletes with the opportunity to stay in sports after completing their careers having received a good education and a new qualification. Not all of them can study for a year in our wonderful campus in Sochi. That is why we have developed a new program designed for part-time education and adapted to the interests of professional athletes.

– How popular is this program?

– Thanks to the support of ROC, students from all over the country came to us during the course of three years. In this period, RIOU created a classroom fund in the ROC building to take training. This simplified logistics. Attending classes in the capital will allow our students to save time on the trip, which is very important. In addition, they have a convenient opportunity not only to gain knowledge, but also to solve their problems, for example, in sports federations located in the ROC building.

– Recently, ROC and RIOU announced the launch of an educational program to improve the skills of coaches. Are you ready to disclose details?

– Currently, we have signed a contract and agreed on the principles of participation in the project of all-Russian sports federations. The program will work at full capacity in the spring. In the pilot version, the federations of track and field athletics and swimming will take part as representatives of summer sports, the federation of speed skating and cross-country skiing– as the representative of winter sports.

We see our task in training young promising coaches capable to take the lead of Russian national teams in the near future.

– What else will RIOU offer to its students in 2019?

– We are preparing for opening of the Information and Educational Center (Museum) in Sochi. There is nothing like this in the world right now. The center will give visitors the opportunity not only to learn about the history of the Olympic movement, but also to feel themselves the emotions experienced by athletes during the Games in Sochi using the most modern simulators.