This Thursday, VTsIOM published the results of a recent survey on the attitude of Russians towards the initiative of Alexander Ovechkin, the professional hockey player, to create "Putin's Team", a new social movement.
The idea is not yet very well-developed.
At the time of the survey only 17% of our citizens heard about it, but more than two-thirds, 68%, voted for it. 6% remained skeptical. As for the attitude towards Ovechkin himself, he evokes the following feelings: 30% respect him and 20% are indifferent, which...well, not everyone is a hockey fan. 18% like him, 11% are hopeful, 11% trust him, 9% admire him. In any case, the net sum of positive assessments is around 79%. Rather convincing.
Maria Saushkina reports on the athletes that have already volunteered to be on Putin's team.
Vladimir Region, the pine forest, a wooden hut, long hours in front of a chess board. The players are Sergey Karyakin and his three coaches. This is the way chess players train.
Sergey Karyakin, Grandmaster, World's Chess Champion: "The training is actually fun. We train in a relaxed atmosphere. We work but at the same time we chat and have fun".
Usually, there are a couple of ultra-powerful laptops at the table, calculating the strategy. They are hidden now, just in case.
The star of the world chess sport, Sergey Karyakin, managed to return chess its prestige in a couple of years. Kids are queuing now to sign up for his class.
With his glorious return, he reminded the world of the Soviet king-grandmasters. Competing with the Norwegian Carlsen for the title of world champion, he refreshed the memory of the games which the whole world watched holding its breath. A battles of minds. But during the active "brain drain" from all over the post-Soviet space, the talented chess player from Crimea was almost lured away promised all the benefits of the "American dream".
Karyakin: "When I started winning for the first time... I was ten when I became the Champion of Europe, I already was the Champion of Ukraine. They offered me to go to America, and study there. They promised to support me as a chess player, that's what they said at least, but actually while my talent wouldn't have died there, it certainly wouldn't have developed the way it did. I sincerely say that if there was a "Putin Team" 3 years ago, I would have instantly joined. It doesn't matter that I have recently managed to meet him personally and that his administration supports chess, that's great, that's awesome, but I do it because my heart tells me to".
Grandmaster Sergey Karyakin prefers to spend his free time after a busy day in a bowling alley.
What targets would the new, ambitious team set and which ones would it strike? "My only goal is to win." Ovechkin's idea is being picked up by athletes and coaches as if it were a relay baton.
Irina Viner, the coach of multiple rhythmic gymnastics champions, also joined the team. However, she suggests they change the English name to a Russian one. Why does she think it's time for sportsmen to gather altogether? And why do they need that "team spirit?"
Irina Viner-Usmanova, Russian rhythmic gymnastics coach: "This name "Putin's Team", why team? Putin is a Russian President. And "team" is an English word. Why not "Komanda Putina?" "Komanda of our youth, komanda we can't live without". And the fact that we are in our President's team, in Russia's team, is well known. It's been 20 years, 5 Olympics. We raise the Russian flag during every competition and the Russian hymn is the most popular tune at our competitions. And generations of athletes know our hymn by heart. And I think, for all our victories, for everything that we managed to achieve, we should be grateful to our President. We are fighting to let our girls win. Our team wins a lot and that irritates a lot of people. But we always find a way to emerge victorious".
Ovechkin's idea quickly reached the hearts of the ice-skating veterans. Boris Mikhailov, the coach who raised Soviet hockey legends, is sure that we must work as a team and make hockey a national idea or hobby. That following the example of the head of our state one can hit the ice even in the middle of the night.
Boris Mikhailov, Honored coach of Russia: "When we were playing, the whole country, including Putin, was cheering for hockey. Because hockey had been bringing enjoyment to us for the whole period of its existence. People tended to misbehave less when the national team was playing. We've always been proud of that, that was our love, our feedback from the people that supported us".
This week Alexander Ovechkin clearly explained his concept to The New York Times: "Putin's Team is Putin's team. It's a movement for those who support Russia, nothing complicated about it. We do it for our nation. I just want to do everything possible for my nation".
More and more actual stars are joining the team every day. Pavel Bure is called the Russian Rocket by his fans and the foreign press. Through his speed and power he practically blew up the National Hockey League. His name was included into the NHL's Hall of Fame, following the names of Soviet legends. Ilya Kovalchuk, whose pucks, flying directly into the gates of our eternal rival, Canada, brought Russia the gold at the World Championship and whose name is in the NHL's Top-100 forwards list. Evgeny Malkin, the only Russian player that received the highest individual award of the National Hockey League. Elena Isinbaeva, the two-time Olympic champion, the record-breaking pole vaulter, this week joined Putin's team. She announced it both in Russian and in English, so that everyone could understand.
Maria Saushkina, Lev Sergeyev, Dmitry Matrosov, Inna Kazantseva Vesti — News of the Week.
