MOSCOW, January 3. /TASS/. Russian athletes must not lose their competitiveness amid the country’s isolation in sports, Vladimir Potanin, the president of Norilsk Nickel who sits on the Russian presidential council for physical culture and sports, told TASS.
"I think maintaining competitive skills amid isolation is key. Because I am confident that sports are very popular here, the government supports sports, and there is a huge number of enthusiasts and sponsors, so we will have infrastructure and athletes available," the Russian billionaire said. "Maintaining competitive skills is key. Therefore finding good sparring partners is important for tactical reasons," he added.