Olympic legend Larissa Latynina has been reflecting on Russian gymnastics in an interview with Pravda, and I am summarising below a paraphrased version of what she has said.
Interesting that Russia is now beginning to reflect on the brain drain and loss of investment dating back to the 1990s and early 2000s and that is now affecting their competitive results. There is also a fascinating article on the mass exodus of coaches, including interviews with Valery Belenkyi, Vladimir Vatkin, Andrei Popov and Alexander Alexandrov. I am hoping to have it translated for you in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, Larissa's words reflect so much of what has been covered in this blog over the last year. Someone of her profile and significance speaking openly on this subject in the Russian press must show that her country is beginning to consider the loss, and perhaps the measures necessary for a recovery - if desired.
"You know, I want to tell you that we lost a lot during the period of re-adjustment ('perestroika'). We lost some of the coaching staff - the border opened, and people realized that that they can travel, and they do. There were people over there who earned a lot more than we did.
So it is no wonder that now our coaches work all over the world. Their teaching was better. We had a great specialists, and we had a lot of children's sports schools. But when all the coaches began to disperse, there was nobody to work here, schools were closed, gymnastics sections in clubs were closed - Dynamo, CSKA Moscow, the trade unions, it all went. Now it is not surprising that, while earlier in the championship of the Soviet Union we had about 150 people competing, now we have more like 24. Not really enough to choose from. That's scary.
And I think that now, in the last few years, the Gymnastics Federation has very seriously paid attention to the development of sport, to the development of children's sports schools. Thankfully, the head of the RGF is also President of VTB, which means there is money. Because right now, in this life, as they say, just taking a step without money is impossible."