Senator Alexander Akimov leads mas-wrestling to new frontiers

On March 14, the President of the International Mas-Wrestling Federation Alexander Akimov welcomed a delegation of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration consisting of:

- Maria Belyakova - Associate Professor, Head of the Department, Director of the Sports and Tourism Industry Management Department of RANEPA;

- Andrey Simanovich - Director of Supplementary Education Programs of the Sports and Tourism Industry Management Department of RANEPA;

- Oleg Rumyantsev - an expert of the Scientific and Educational Center of the Sports and Tourism Industry Management Department of RANEPA.

The subject of the meeting was the discussion of cooperation with a view to further integration of Mas-wrestling into the international sports arena.

The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration is one of the leading universities in the country with branches in 53 constituent entities of the Russian Federation and works in all educational areas of vocational training - bachelor and specialist, master’s degree, postgraduate, MBA etc.

In addition to educational activities, RANEPA successfully cooperates with foreign universities, such as the University of Lausanne, has close ties with many sports federations, is a partner and information sponsor of major exhibitions of sports profile.

The Federal University drew attention to the growing popularity of the new sport in Russia and the world for its so-called «compactness» - the possibility of organizing training process and competitions with small means due to the simplicity of manufacturing inventory and equipment, rules and attractive entertainment.

The participants of the meeting from the academy told that they have experience of working abroad, including in the International Olympic Committee, expressed their desire to develop a large project to include mas-wrestling in the most important international complex competitions.

It is worth recalling here that at the end of February this year the Order of the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) on approval of the Action Plan for the inclusion of mas-wrestling in the program of the Olympic Games for the period 2023-2036.

Experts see collaboration with the IMWF in the following areas:

- preparation of specific official documents;

- expansion of Media Space;

- commercial activity;

- creating sponsorship packages to find partners in Russia and abroad;

- systematization of the application procedure for participation in competitions;

- anti-doping work, etc.

President of IMWF Alexander Akimov carefully listened to the arguments of the guests and decided to sign the agreement, which will specify the common goals and details of mutually beneficial cooperation. It is encouraging that the sport that originated in the Far North is gaining increasing interest from the scientific community. We hope that this meeting will continue and develop into concrete actions.