The head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Pozdnyakov, announced his resignation, explaining the need for a change in leadership due to “geopolitical challenges”

The President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Stanislav Pozdnyakov announced that he would leave his post and proposed holding early elections for a new leadership of the organization. As stated in Pozdnyakov’s statement published on the ROC website, this issue will be considered at a meeting of the Executive Committee on November 7.

“The geopolitical challenges that our country faces dictate the need to optimize and centralize the management of key areas of activity, including elite sports.

In ensuring the most effective results with proper financial support, the creation and practical implementation of new formats of high-level competitions, as well as in creating high-quality conditions for training future generations of strong, competitive athletes, the role of the state is more important today than ever.

To further strengthen the Russian Olympic movement, timely prerequisites have now emerged, including economic ones, to change the leader and team.”

Pozdnyakov expressed confidence that the ROC Executive Committee will support his proposal and set a date for the Olympic meeting to hold early elections of the new leadership of the Olympic Committee. The Olympic meeting is traditionally held in December.

Stanislav Pozdnyakov has been heading the ROC since May 2018. Before that, in 2009–2017, he served as vice-president of the Russian Fencing Federation (RFF). Russian fencing has been under the tutelage of billionaire Alisher Usmanov for two decades: from 2001 to 2009, he headed the Russian Fencing Federation, and since 2008 he has been chairman of the Board of Trustees of the FFR. Usmanov also headed the International Fencing Federation (FIE), but suspended his activities in this post in 2022 due to EU sanctions imposed against him.

Earlier in October, a court in Hamburg upheld Usmanov’s claim and prohibited the dissemination of information that the Russian oligarch was bribing judges at the International Fencing Federation (FIE), which was previously stated on the German television channel ARD. The court found these allegations unproven. Now the billionaire plans to prosecute journalist Hajo Seppelt, who accused him of creating a “system of bribing judges.” Usmanov is suing the EU authorities, seeking the lifting of sanctions.

On October 12, it became known that Vladimir Putin had updated the composition of the Council on Physical Education and Sports. Also excluded from it was Irina Viner-Usmanova, the ex-wife of Alisher Usmanov, with whom he officially divorced in 2022 after thirty years of marriage.