International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach has called Skolkovo’s Olympic Technopark an “important project” after viewing the designs for the new research center during a visit to Moscow.
Thomas Bach, center, visiting the Russian Olympic Committee headquarters in Moscow. Photo: ROC
Bach was shown the blueprints for the facility over the weekend, when he dropped in on the Russian Olympic Committee headquarters.
With a blue felt pen, the 61-year-old German scrawled “Good luck and all the best for your important project!” on the designs as the president of the Russian Olympic Committee, Alexander Zhukov, looked on.
Bach, who was elected to succeed Jacques Rogge as IOC president in September 2013, traveled to the Russian capital to bestow rhythmic gymnastics coach Irina Viner-Usmanova with the Silver Olympic Order for her services to sport, as well as to attend the World Fencing Championships, which ended Sunday.
Bach composing his message. Photo: ROC
Bach noted that in recent years, the IOC has ramped up its efforts to expand the medical support network available to athletes. In November of 2014, the body reconized nine IOC Research Centers for the Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health. The centers are in Australia, Canada, Denmark, South Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, South Africa, and Britain.
In February, the Skolkovo Foundation and the Olympic Committee of Russia signed a partnership agreement that envisages the construction of a 50,000 sq. m. sports research and development facility on the territory of the Skolkovo Innovation Center by 2018.
The agreement, inked by Skolkovo Foundation president Victor Vekselberg and Russian Olympic Committee president Zhukov, sets out a road map for the planning and construction of the center, which is to open the same year as Russia hosts football’s World Cup.
The center has several goals: to develop sports and biomedicine technologies and innovative sporting equipment, to stimulate import-substitution and transfer of foreign technologies, to commercialize sports-related innovations developed by Skolkovo startups, and also to provide recovery and rehabilitation facilities, among other things.
It will provide 600 jobs and house a range of specialized training facilities including an oxygen-deprivation unit that simulates high-altitude exercise, which athletes undergo to increase the efficiency of the blood’s oxygen-delivery processes, said Kirill Kaem, Skolkovo vice president and executive director of the biomed cluster.
There are to be six labs in total: elite sport, sports technology, information support, mountain training, a body lab and haemolab.
It represents a first foray into sports for Skolkovo, which focuses on five areas of research: IT, nuclear, energy, biomed and space.
A photo gallery from the original agreement signing, showing the blueprints for the Olympic Technopark, can be viewed here.