Head of Russian Olympic Committee Stanislav Pozdnyakov Resigns
Stanislav Pozdnyakov, the head of Russia’s Olympic Committee (ROC) since 2018, has announced that he will step down amid growing “geopolitical challenges” facing Russian sports.
Pozdnyakov made the decision public on Tuesday, saying that the committee needs new leadership as Russian athletes continue to face restrictions on the global stage due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement, Pozdnyakov explained that the “geopolitical challenges faced by our country dictate the need to optimise and centralise the management of key spheres of activity, including high-performance sport.”
He added that it was the right time for a new leader to take over, particularly given current economic and political conditions.
Russian athletes have been barred from competing as a team in three recent Olympics, including the Paris Games, where only 15 Russian athletes participated as “Individual Neutral Athletes.”
These athletes could not represent Russia under its national flag or anthem due to sanctions tied to state-sponsored doping scandals and more recently the war in Ukraine, and their selection was heavily scrutinised to exclude anyone linked to the Russian military or supportive of the invasion.
Despite his efforts to guide Russian athletes through these tough times, many athletes opted not to participate under the neutral designation, a decision Pozdnyakov said was personal but fully supported by the ROC.
Pozdnyakov, a former Olympic fencing gold medalist and colonel in the Russian military, has been a vocal figure against the restrictions placed on Russian athletes. His leadership coincided with a period of intense scrutiny and suspension of the ROC’s recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
His departure comes ahead of the ROC’s executive committee meeting scheduled for November 7th, where they are expected to discuss plans for electing his successor. Pozdnyakov expressed confidence that the committee would support his decision to step down, allowing for new leadership to emerge before the IOC elects its next president.
