World Champions Bred by National Champions

The Role of State-Owned Corporate Giants in Russian Sports

Author(s): Markku Jokisipilä
Editor(s): Stephen Aris, Matthias Neumann, Robert Orttung, Jeronim Perovic, Heiko Pleines, Hans-Henning Schröder, Aglaya Snetkov
Series: Russian Analytical Digest (RAD)
Issue: 95
Pages: 8-11
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen; Institute of History, University of Basel
Publication Year: 2011

According to Vladimir Putin's national champions policy, Russian corporations in strategic sectors should serve national interests. A fascinating aspect of this policy is the Kremlin's recruitment of corporate giants, such as Gazprom and Rosneft, to fund Russian sport. International sporting success and the hosting of high-profile sporting events, especially the Sochi Olympics in 2014 and the FIFA World Cup in 2018, are seen as invaluable tools for signaling Russia's return as a great power. With its unrivaled track record of victories during the Soviet era, the Russian national ice-hockey team is viewed as having special importance by both Putin and Medvedev.

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