Valentin Zhukov: In Kazan we found the most beautiful location in Russia for beach volleyball tournament 07.07.2010

-Valentin Vasilyevich, we have all grounds to call you the godfather of Kazan volleyball. You’ve been among the first executives of the Russian Volleyball Federation who gave a blessing to the foundation of the men’s Zenit-Kazan team, the leading team in Russian volleyball at present.

-Thank you for such a flattering compliment. I personally enter in the list of the Tatarstan volleyball “godfathers” three names: Minister of the Interior Asgat Safarov, former Kazan Mayor Kamil Iskhakov and ex-President of the Volleyball Federation of the Republic of Tatarstan Evgeny Davletshin. I still have this picture in my mind: the Kazan government with the Mayor at the head sitting on the bench watching a volleybaal match in the small Dinamo gym. At that time I realized that professional volleyball has future in Kazan!

Valentin Zhukov watching European Beach Volleyball battles

-It was in 2000. Now ten years later can you say the same words about the Kazan beach volleyball?

- I will name another godfather of beach volleyball – your first President Mintimer Shaimiev. With joint efforts we’ve chosen the Riviera beach as the location for the first round of the Russian Championship and now for the European Universities Championship. Everyone heard of the stadium on the Poklonnaya Gora in Moscow. But the atmosphere there is not appropriate for holding the beach volleyball tournaments. There is a memorial nearby… To my mind in Kazan we’ve found the most beautiful location for staging beach volleyball competitions. The Volga region is the region where beach volleyball is appropriate like nowhere else. At present I travel to the regions, I’ve been to Samara, Saratov, Ulyanovsk, as I’m confident that volleyball needs to be to be developed in here.

-I noticed that beach volleyball was more developed in the cities where indoor volleyball was not so popular. For example Russia is presented by the teams of Vladivostok and Obninsk. Does the Federation have a goal to give something for everybody, one regions get indoor volleyball and the others – beach volleyball?

-Not in the least. In Belgorod for instance both volleyball sports get along together. I think that the real reason lies in the local administration’s motivation. In Obninsk they have it, Yarzutkin invests in beach volleyball development, he spent his own funds to build a stadium and the city is top-ranked in beach volleyball. The Kaluga region governor himself attends August competitions in there.

Valentin Zhukov at VII European Universities Beach Volleyball Championship press conference

- It was in news recently that one of the leading Russian beach volleyball players Igor Kolodinsky returns to indoor volleyball. But it was his tandem with Dmitry Barsuk that Russia counted on in the 2012 London Olympics.

-The situation is a little bit different. It’s true that Kolodinsky signed a contract with the Super League team but he will play for it only in the spring-autumn period. He’ll be back to beach volleyball in summer. The point is that the things are different in Russian beach volleyball in comparison with foreign countries. The situation is complicated so far. We plan to attract the Major A-League players in beach volleyball as the Super League athletes are already involved in competitions of their clubs.

-Zenit-Kazan is an absolute leader of men’s national volleyball. At the moment we expect to develop women’s volleyball since a few national team players like Ekaterina Gamova for example were involved in the team. Do you fear to face a prospect of Kazan turning in the volleyball favorite of all Russia.

- Oh God, it’s not what I fear. The most important thing is that the strong teams are made of their own school players. Zenit-Kazan for example won two straight championships but how many volleyball players did the team bring up for the last ten years? I can name only Egorov and Shpilev out of hand. We need to bring up our own players!

- The entrants of the Russian Championship that ended in Kazan last week noted that competitions abroad are more like a show. The Russian championships differ in this context.

- I agree. If you look at our spectators now you’ll see that their faces express no emotions. People abroad are more emotional when they support their teams. Besides I see that our problem is in the information blackout. I’m sure that later on when other tournaments will be held they will draw more competitors. We need more advertising in crowded places. In this context I’d recommend to address kind of aggressive but efficient slogan to people who get tan on the beach. “Hey, blokes, let’s go to the beach volleyball tournament! There are such cuties in bikini!” And there are also other ways of popularization. In Tula for example the local women’s team was photoed and their pictures were put on… tramways. As a result people recognized their volleyball players everywhere! You make popularity in the street as well as revolutions. So we need as Lenin said “to take banks, post offices, telegraphs… tramways, buses!” And with their help to promote volleyball.

Jaudat Abdullin, special correspondent
VII European Universities Beach Volleyball Championship