I was so impressed by this, I spent a couple of hours to polish up the online translation. The interview was with Soviet Sport (yes, that is still the venerable journal's name [:)]) last month. By now, Tarpischev's new program is being processed by the Ministry of Sport.
Thank God that Russian tennis has a vozhd like Shamil Anvyarovitch! [A]
President of Russian Tennis Federation, Shamil Tarpischev: Our tennis must be saved!
on March 14, 2009, №37 (17768) http://www.sovsport.ru/
We became accustomed to speak about Russian tennis in the enthusiastic key. But how otherwise, if today both our composites - man and female - are the leaders of world rating? At the same time, the captain of these composites Shamil Tarpischev] sounds the alarm. However, he not only forecasts danger of decline in our results in the near future, but also proposes an escape from the situation. "Soviet Sport" - the first edition, with which the President of the federation of tennis of Russia (FTR) shared with us the prescription for the rescuing of tennis in the country.
CHEAP GIRLS [H]
Shamil Anvyarovich! Conversations reach us, as if you now write a concept work. Something like "development programs of tennis in Russia".
- So there is. It is high time to save our tennis.
- To save the form of the sport, in which among the ten best women five are Russian women?
- Precisely. The results achieved by us are high. We reached maximum starting from a minimum of possibilities. But now our results begin to eat us. Today tennis has actually became the people's game. The popularity of the game so grew that even with the recent years' improved material and technical base we have a situation worse than in the Soviet times, when our game was elite. Everyone wants to learn, so all the bases are oppressed. Leasing courts at prime time in Moscow costs 70 dollars, and in Switzerland - 40!
- Being expressed by the language of the economy, demand does by many times exceed supply?
- Yes. If in the entire Soviet Union there were in 1990 only 94 covered courts, then in 2008 we conducted only competitions in 378. But how many in all in the country - only god knows. But the dynamics of an increase in the number of those employed in this time was still greater. In this case the number of their personnel--decreased. Indeed we restored the department of tennis at the Russian State University gymnastics department only a few years ago. Thus far our scientific direction vegetated in the bureaucracy of the department of sport. Yes, even the two present departments - in Moscow and Peter - are drops in the sea in the present situation.
Indeed, Russian teachers with their unique scientific methods precisely made it possible to squeeze the most out of the service life. But if ten years ago trainers were happy to work for one-and-a-half thousand dollars, then now, simply by tossing the ball to businessmen, it is possible to obtain ten thousands. Each has a family - clear matter, that the trainers select the cleaner and better paid work with the rich, petty private clients, but not tedious and unprofitable labor with talented people.
In this sort of distribution, we can lose all our laboriously-won achievements. Indeed competition in tennis is mad - 205 countries of the world cultivate the game. They will not be trampled down by us. On us have so many long looked like the wolf: without sincerely understanding what our successes are founded on--and they wait, for when we slacken. In the men's game, we've already allowed it to happen.
- Actual, to expect that soon someone, besides Nikolai Davydenko, will stably hold the top-10, don't you think? Why, by the way?
- Reason is the same - in the finances. Girls are cheaper to train. They at the age of 16-18 years play at the frequency of 23 impacts per minute. Boys - 25-26. It means, any boy is a good sparring-partner for the girl. But for the boy it is necessary for a partner to do two more. Moreover, I give the girls for entry into the fifty best three or four years, and men - up to seven years. Among the girls the staff turnover is higher. If someone does not begin to show stably high results by 23-24 years and do not aspire to the entry into the elite 50, then they depart from the sport to create their life, family. The kids do not have any problem with this. Indeed, as a rule, on the average they play up to age 32, and therefore competition among them is higher.
However, - what should we do now?
- Globally there are two versions. If everything remains the same, it is necessary to forget about the healthy ambitions--to return to the style of work of the 1970's: we select and educate tennis-players as best we can. Or we find the money and we work in the manner we have since assumed.
Now a child from a moderate-means family has no chance in the tennis occupation, though he/she may be super-talented. In Moscow because of (Mayor) Yuri Mikhaylovich Luzhkov we've already begun to solve this problem. In the capital, a number of covered courts, not burdened by commerce (that is, public), is projected. On the base of the Olympic school and, in the southwest, on the 11th park street. All these centers - on the balance of Sportkomitet (Committee for Physical Culture and Sports) of Moscow, but under our control.
In this case we will create free training instruction for the talented children. Those, whose chances to begin to play are fifty-fifty, will pay in the same proportion, well and everything else will begin to be occupied for the money. But this not a systemic solution. The problem is growing faster even the forced measure!
COMMISSION OF THE PRESIDENT
- I, of course, understand, that to you and to the capital's mayor, tennis is significant. But nevertheless in you with it at this moment everything is very even good. But complete failure is here in the skis on the threshold of the Olympiad -2010. Maybe, to the state it is nevertheless worthwhile to help skiing first of all?
- You speak about our good results. It means, we proved that we know how to competently use the resources we are given, it is possible in this sense to entrust to us.
The value of tennis in the sense of the international image of the country is difficult to overestimate. Someone said to me: "Shamil, we recently returned from Japan, where all agreements were signed. Thanks to you for this!" "Me- for what?" - I ask. "You understand, when I noted that the negotiations were conducted unusually successfully, then they answered: "Still, you have Sharapova!"
Not by chance did the honorable (past) President of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch, when Kafelnikov won in Sydney, embraced and kissed me and said: "You do not know what you've done for Russia! Victory in tennis in its resonance represents four-five medals in other forms of sport!"
- They did not convince.
- Then here are the bare facts. During the year we had 443 conquerors of international tournaments. This means that so many times abroad rose the Russian flag and our hymn sounded. Actually every week! So what is more convincing? By the way, with the President of Russia Dmitriy Medvedev, with whom we were met in the Kremlin this past autumn together with the tennis victors of the Olympiad, the importance of tennis in the sense of the prestige of the country was without question. Much of what I now tell you was brought to the attention of our President and obtained support. So we make our tennis program with the approval of the first face of the state.
PRICE OF LEADERSHIP - 45 MILLION PER YEAR
- In what the essence of the program?
- Ideological examination. Systematically training of young athletes, until now, we have led the whole world for two or three years. It is scrutinized at the highest level and we optimize the training process. But to optimally organize work within the present conditions is possible only for athletes of up to 14 years. To this age we have the system of Russian tennis. Within its framework were held in the past year 1262 tournaments, within which was accepted the participation of more than eight thousand young athletes.
But it is further in those of them, who approach the 15-year boundary, the problem arises: it is necessary to participate in the international tournaments in order to collect ranking points--not in Russia. Those, who find the means, leave for the boundary, and the rest continue to play for themselves, actually concluding with the sport of the highest achievements. Moreover there is no guarantee, that for those who left, everything will go well. At this tender age foreign academies spoil our athletes... (Shamil says "to the time-two-three". I don't know the expression.)
From the other side, if we leave this age for the training process in Russia now, there will not be a next generation. They will drive in entire training time, after selecting it in rest.
- It is necessary to find the method to keep those who are older than 14 hold in the country?
- At their age we must deal with the physical, with the technical, and with the psychological the points of view. To Planck (?) training must be raised at least to 18 years of age.
In the past year they played 360 children of problematic age in 56 countries. In order to return them to Russia, it is first of all necessary to create the system of the competitions within the framework of the international calendar for the tennis-players of up to 18 years. This stage must be compact so that to the athletes it would be convenient to cross from one tournament to another: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Orel, Ryazan, Penza, Saransk, Ul'yanovsk, Cheboksari, Yoshkar-Ola, Kazan. We make one tournament per week - two and the more of the month of sport calendar they are closed.
In parallel must function the number of the academies, in which for the motion of the stage could learn and be trained its participants. Due to the academies we exactly will solve a question of valuable systematic process. The scarcity of tennis construction, I reckon, they could completely liquidate within the framework of the federal special-purpose development program of sport in the country.
Is extremely necessary Siberian tennis stage according to the same diagram, in order to envelop talented children from that region, without forcing them to hurry about into the European part of Russia. This is actual - in Khanty Mansiysk are already built seven covered courts, in Tyumen four in this year . In Nizhnevartovske courts already exist, in Surgut, the tennis base in Ekaterinburg is built.
- What means are required for the implementation of your program?
- The budgetary part (state finance) we are still counting. Non-budgetary financing must be in the size of 45 million dollars yearly.
- Oho!
- You will focus attention - these means are intended for the entire FTR, but not to one club or command as in football or hockey. Certainly, if we compare it with the present beggarly FTR budget, it indeed appears imposing. However, in comparison with the football-hockey numbers it ridiculous. Really, does any football or hockey club bring to the country the glory compared with what the tennis-players obtain for it ?
45 million - this is the annual budget of the Canadian federation of tennis, whose pupils, let us say, are not many. In this case I note that the tennis association of the USA yearly has at its disposal $225 of millions, France - more than $200 million. India now packs into the development program of tennis approximately one billion of dollars!
- Specifically, the means in our case?
- If we speak about the non-budgetary financing, then in essence the contracts of the federation with the tennis-players, the trainers, medical support. We already spoke about: the situation on the market is such that we must pay not less than 10 thousand dollars per month for a good trainer. Plus is the guarantee of athletes, which in the boys of 16-18 years for year turns around by 130 thousand Euros, and in girls - 70. All these are expenditures for participation in the competitions out of the country.
- On what stage of development is "the development program of tennis" now?
- To us it remains to describe unique components - standard projects of covered tennis court and standard projects of academies. Toward the end of March I plan to finish work, and it will be possible to pass along the program .
- Where?
- It is natural that the program must be examined in the Ministry of Sport. I am confident we will find in this sense understanding with its leader Vitalius Mutko, and this program will become our common cause. Indeed our tennis has long ago deserved more timid relations.
- You do assume that under you will be isolated the budget fund and "will be appointed" the federations of sponsor-oligarch?
- To us nevertheless, from where means will enter. I simply know that the funds are necessary in this precise quantity and as fast as possible, otherwise consequences for our tennis will be catastrophic. Regularity here is simple: it is small money - one champion, there are many, money - system gives us many champions.
- In other words, you are ready to place on the map your reputation and to promise that in the case of the execution of your program we will continue equal to battle with the strongest tennis powers?
- Yes, and we will not not only be equal - let us run away forward and for a long time! I guarantee, that in the case of the realization of our ideas, Russia will remain first in many tennis ratings.
"That's the way the world works... right now." --Maria Sharapova at 17
