Triple Olympic champion Aleksandr Karelin

On Monday in Budapest started the wrestling World Cup – the first large tournament after the fatal 125th session of the International Olympic committee which has made the decision to leave this sport in the program of summer Games. Already the first winners at wrestlers were defined. For Russian national team start turned out bronze – Nariman Israpilov, Mahomed Kurbanaliyev and Anzor Boltukayev rose by the third step of a pedestal. Today to a carpet there are women, and representatives of the Greco-Roman style will finish tournament. Our prospects at these competitions and the latest events in the wrestling world "Noviye Izvestia" discussed with legendary Alexander KARELIN, the triple Olympic champion.

– One of upon whom in Budapest special hopes are rested, the captain of a Russian team on Greco-Roman wrestling, the Olympic champion of London, the world champion and Europe Roman Vlasov is. What you can tell about the fellow countryman?

– I will be probably biased, after all  Roma grew in Dinamo hall, it is possible to tell, on my eyes. Mother, she is a teacher, brought it to us together with the big brother Artem that was under supervision while it was in school. If it is short – laconic, hardworking and very obligatory guy. And that to me very much imposes – never shows the feelings in public. I when I try to characterize Siberians, always speak: we not frozen, we are simply reserved in manifestation of emotions. Here  Roma under this definition very much approaches. I remember, the first that it made, having arrived last summer from the Olympic Games, – began to prepare for mother a worthy gift for anniversary. It too strongly characterizes it. Still I would note its insistence, to myself first of all, and very serious relation to that children chose him as the captain.  Roma – ours, really. And we, of course, are proud of it extremely. I hope that all benefits which are received today by champions, publicity won't prevent it to prepare for competitions as it is self-sacrificing, as earlier.

– Vlasov – the second wrestler after you the Greco-Roman style in Novosibirsk which managed to become the Olympic champion …

– Now in Budapest in our Greco-Roman team four persons represent the Novosibirsk region! Certainly, it isn't casual. The same Vlasov – same part of our traditions. You know, I am not a hypocrite in this sense and I deny nothing, everyone is free to choose in life the way, but, despite obvious temptations, it is faithful to the instructor Victor Mikhaylovich Kuznetsov (at it Karelin trained also. – ). And today children try to keep step with Roman. Sergey Andrusik, for example, too the pupil of school of Kuznetsov, it is more senior than Vlasov, but the example  Romas allowed it to believe in itself, to win the national championship and to be selected on the World Cup in the heaviest category.

– The World Cup – already the second start after University games in Kazan which takes place by the new rules accepted in Moscow in May of this year on the congress of the International federation of integrated styles of wrestling. These innovations became one of the most telling arguments in support of wrestling at recent session the IOC.

– I wouldn't began to call these rules new. They existed 30 years ago, and it was time of blossoming of wrestling which was perfectly perceived by public. Two main issues – change of a temporary format of wrestling (two periods for three minutes. – ) and introduction of the joint, through account – were accepted not quickly. From more than 10 thousand amendments which we offered in the different years, nearly seven and a half thousand concerned these two decisions. Need of changes ripened very long and if the former president of FILA mister Martinetti reacted to offers earlier, that, is sure, February "the black tag" to wrestling from the IOC wouldn't be. Therefore it is rather new edition long ago existing rules. Simply with the cold head and a warm heart we all wrestling world undertook revival of traditions.

– By the way, as the IOC belonged to the decision – to keep wrestling for the Olympic Games – the new president of committee Thomas Bach?

– After in February the IOC recommended to exclude wrestling from the program of Games, Bach who is also the president of National Olympic committee of Germany, was one of the first who supported us. Germany, probably, the only European country where the wrestling championship is all the year round held, there is a peculiar Bundesliga. And if to speak about sequence of actions after February events, the first we "detonated", then the USA, Iran, and Germany was the fourth. In my opinion, yet there were no cases when Iran, the USA, Germany and Russia combined efforts to solve one problem. And now Bach told: "If you don't pursue policy of isolation of the sport, we will in every possible way support your actions in wrestling for full presence at the Olympic family".

– And you told that the present World Cup has to show wrestling in all primitive beauty …

–… This most important! Here to you an example – final wrestling on University games in category to 66 kilograms where our Islam-Beka Albiyev and Azerbaijanian Rasoul Chunayev fought. Islam lost on the 32nd second, but for the audience it was rather beautiful, is fascinating. As the vice-president of our federation of wrestling George Bryusov told, after University games in Kazan the deep statistical analysis of results was carried out, and it became clear that 27 percent of semifinal and final duels came to the end with victories behind clear technical advantage of one of athletes. And 12 fights ended with a touch, that is an absolute victory. Shovels – peak of any wrestling. It is pleasant to public. And after all at former rules these moments were forgotten partially.

– New edition of rules too is pleasant to athletes, trainers?

– All apprehended changes with simplification. After all now judges can't manipulate a duel, the destiny of a medal is decided by the one who is most well prepared. Plus operating edition of rules gives the chance to all who does receptions, first, not to be afraid. As one our known trainer for many years heading USSR national team, the good wrestler even in the most vulnerable situations told, even being kneeling, remains the wrestler. We saved up so many methodical stories, it is so much experience … Today endurance, equipment, force are defining, and at the real wrestler they have to be, if I may say so, harmonized. But all the same, as a rule, any one of three of these qualities always dominates. Who will be good itself(himself) and is hardy, that, at all without possessing any technical standards, can "rock oxygen" to the rival. The technical athlete, on the contrary, has to solve destiny of wrestling in the first seconds. And the one who is more feasible, can show itself(himself) somewhere in the middle. Now there is no universal direction – only hardy wins, either technical, or extremely strong that we observed recently. After all than then the wrestler differs from a pushing shtangist, for example? It is rough allegory, but it exactly so. Now only harmoniously developed, harmoniously created athlete has more chances of a victory.

– Wrestling remains in the program of Games 2020 and 2024 of years, but doesn't enter yet into the list of 25 main Olympic sports. Means, continuation follows?

– We raised a question of when the number of root sports will be increased at session. And already began work on preparation for the next congress of FILA which in a year will pass in Tashkent during the following World Cup. There the question of the one who becomes the president of the International federation of wrestling further, and also about changes in FILA structure will be raised. We will aspire to that as a part of each of 17 commissions there was a representative of Russia as the great wrestling power. Changes are made to rules, and now we have to be more conservative in this plan and more think over interesting forms of giving of wrestling as bright sports show, to open its essence.

– New tournament which you are going to carry out in Novosibirsk, – "Power of traditions" instead of Karelin's habitual Cup, – one of such ideas?

– Yes, it is search, experiment, we will try to present all best ideas and practices. Tournament has to turn out dynamic, keep the audience in suspense from the first to the last duel. While it will pass in a cup format, youthful teams of Armenia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Russia will participate, but I don't exclude that the next year it can already become selection start for a national team. As I already spoke, four our wrestlers come today to a carpet in Budapest as a part of Russian national team. It is huge responsibility and power of our traditions. From here and tournament name. There was the Olympic champion Vlasov, but we aren't able to afford to hold separate nominal tournaments therefore we will use opportunity to unite all wrestlers-olimpionikov flying the flag "Powers of traditions". And Karelin's Cup was good in the 1990th and 2000th years, he helped to solve a set of tasks – from wrestling promoting in regions before construction of new wrestling halls. Our many ideas now are actively used when carrying out youthful tournaments not only in Russia, but also abroad. But as that it, in my opinion, already sputtered out. And here traditions which managed to be put, I hope, will present to us new bright wrestlers.

– Fresh blood now joins our national team, but very much there are no leaders what were in due time you, Buvaysar Saytiyev …

– It is necessary to remember that all of us are successors of traditions of great Russian school of wrestling. Not simply because themselves we consider as those, but because such is reality. On the account of the Soviet and Russian wrestlers some tens gold awards won on the most important tournaments. Any representative of other power when sees that opposite to him costs people in shape "Russia", understands that he wasn't lucky. Because behind this word huge such press, a skating rink . Well and besides I won't tell anything new: it is less than words, and it is more than business. It is necessary to train, to plow. I consider that it is better to be silent and modestly to come for bow from the top step of a pedestal, than to be talkative and is verbose to make comments on the second, third or eighth place, for example. Therefore all at them in hands.

OKSANA TONKACHEEVA