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Mr Putin evaluated the Russian team’s performance at the Salt Lake City Olympics as perfectly satisfactory, and even good.
He pointed out competent legal and medical services among the crucial duties of Olympic team leaders and managers. We cannot allow our opponents to win through unsportsmanlike conduct, he said.
Mr Putin also called to bridge the gap between certain sports, to improve the infrastructure, and build more skating rinks, tracks and ski jumps.
It is also high time to introduce the effective control of performance-enhancing drugs in Russia, he said in the context of the Russian ski team exempted from the Olympic relay race. As Mr Putin stressed, international regulations against the use of performance-enhancing drugs had been worked out with Russian participation, and Russian athletes and trainers must know them.
He called to draw as many lessons as possible from the Salt Lake City Olympics—in particular, for training the next Olympic generation. Efforts in sports where Russia is still a small success matter most. Mr Putin mentioned fans’ passions, saying that excessive emotion showed how the Russian people love its athletes.
March 5, 2002, Novo-Ogaryovo