Stanislav Pozdniakov, president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), announced his resignation on Tuesday after six years at the helm of the organization. During part of his tenure, Russian sport has been excluded from numerous international competitions due to the war in Ukraine. In a statement posted on the ROC website, Pozdniakov mentioned that “the geopolitical challenges facing our country dictate the need to optimize and centralize the management of key areas, including elite sport.”
Pozdniakov expressed his conviction that the ROC executive committee will accept his resignation on November 7, at which time early elections will be called to elect a new leader. According to him, “the right conditions are now in place, including economic ones, for a change of leader and team,” which would strengthen the Russian Olympic movement. This transition seems to be in line with the need to adapt to the current geopolitical and sporting circumstances.
POZDNIAKOV, HIGHLY CRITICAL OF THE IOC
During his tenure, Pozdniakov was highly critical of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) because of the restrictions imposed on Russian athletes at the Paris Olympics. Only 16 Russian athletes participated under the category of Neutral Individual Athletes (NIA), without officially representing their country, and achieved a single silver medal in women’s tennis. Pozdniakov considered that the IOC “chose the side of political conflict,” something he said contradicted the mission of the international sports body.
In line with his critical stance towards the participation of Russian athletes as neutrals, Pozdniakov made particular reference to the Russian tennis players who competed without a flag or anthem in Paris. In March, he expressed his discontent via his Telegram channel, where he noted that these IOC decisions fulfilled “political errands to isolate Russian sport,” affecting the development and participation of athletes.
Pozdniakov’s resignation follows other recent changes in the Russian sports landscape, including the replacement last May of Sports Minister Oleg Matitsin with Mikhail Degtiariov, a nationalist politician from the Khabarovsk region. Despite the tensions, Matitsin emphasized the importance of maintaining relations with international federations, although he also condemned the participation of Russian athletes under the status of neutrals. Russia has tried to organize alternative competitions for this year, such as the World Friendship Games, which were postponed until 2025 due to the lack of participation of foreign athletes.
