Tatarstan President: Any victory of our athletes is very important for the country

On March 5, at the Kazan Kremlin, at his meeting with regional athletes who took part in the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov noted that any victory of our athletes is very important for the country. He congratulated the athletes on their successful participation in the Olympic Games and stressed that they demonstrated the highest sports skills.

"Strong faith in victory and ambition helped you to represent our republic with dignity. We know the conditions under which you had to compete, the pressure on our country and the athletes, but your diligence, talent and perseverance yielded good results. Thanks to you, such kinds of sport as figure skating, skiing, snowboarding, gained a new impetus for development in the republic,” Minnikhanov told the athletes.

"Your results were made possible thanks to discipline, maximum dedication, well-coordinated work of the coaching staff, support of relatives and friends, as well as sincere love of fans," Minnikhanov added.  “We sincerely empathized with you because of the events that took place before and during the Olympic Games. And any victory of our athletes is very important for the country. You are great, we are proud of you. "

Tatarstan President also expressed his gratitude to the leadership of the sports federations and coaches.

"The republic pays great attention to the development of Olympic sports, mass and professional sports, the quality of the sporting events, the establishment of sports infrastructure, the organization of global events, the preparation of sports reserves, and the worldwide support of athletes and coaches," he said.

Currently, there are about 10.5 thousand sports facilities functioning in the republic, he noted. "We hold over 30 major all-Russia and international competitions and more than 800 regional ones every year. More than nine thousand people work in the sports industry of the republic on a permanent basis. This is a huge potential that has been developed over the past years,” Minnikhanov stated.