Wherever there was legendary Aleksandr Karelin, it is necessary to notice him. Here and during the World Games of martial arts in Petersburg the location of San Sanycha managed to be determined by a huge congestion of people before an entrance on tribunes.

Aleksandr Karelin, the triple Olympic champion, the prize-winner of Olympic Games-2000, the repeated world champion and Europe, arrived to Petersburg as the ambassador of wrestling within the World Games of martial arts. Ours also began with this question with it conversation.

- Alexander, you arrived to Petersburg as the ambassador of wrestling of the World Games of martial arts. In what your mission consisted?

- Functions of the ambassador are stated in the provision on tournament. I, being the person not lazy, I translated all this and I read. I needed to open social value of our look for the audience and those who is engaged in it. I offered head of SportAccord Marius Vizeru to expand idea of possibility of ambassadors. Therefore passed, including, and on those schools where there is an interest to Greco-Roman wrestling, but not all know about combat sports. So in Petersburg I moved a little on other trajectory, than other ambassadors. I held five meetings at schools. Talked to children on one and a half-two hour, communicated. By the way, I have an inconsistent relation to the formulation "martial arts" in relation to Greco-Roman wrestling. Greco-Roman wrestling — the Olympic discipline, we have no applied value, as wrestling self-defense. At us peace, within very rigid, conservative rules, a sport. Wrestling — it not only physical force. This real creativity and humane philosophy.

- By the way, your view of wrestling changed after it almost excluded from the program of Olympic Games?

- That happened in February of this year, was real "a black tag". For half a year which have passed after stated us mistrust I thought that we have to remind of those arguments which were obvious to us — trainers, to athletes, experts and simply fans of wrestling much. We got used to it, but it appeared that the others forgot all about them. Certainly, "a disservice" to us was done with that the retired former president the International federation of amateur wrestling Raphael Martinetti neglected the right to participate in the international meetings. It didn't meet leaders of the international sports movement, the IOC not so participated in the receptions, organized.

Wrestling was on the sly rolled away at all on scene, and went to store rooms, for a slip. To anything good didn't lead also rules which we for the last 20 years changed time thirty. We were arranged under the criminal phrase "get to a format", expanded geography at the expense of distribution of medals. But we stole the most important — deprived of wrestlers of feeling of the master of the destiny on a carpet. For me wrestling — this phenomenon where the wrestler himself solves, what forces to put than to offer and as far as to take up for a side possible to reach a victory. And the judge as the priest, has to watch only ritual observance, observance of rules, instead of to appoint the winner. Now all of us returned it. I can tell that if this February "blot" wasn't in the history of wrestling, it should be thought up. For half a year we remembered all arguments in favor of wrestling, stirred up interest to our type of activity, returned the fans. It is sure that we are on the threshold of finding of new admirers of wrestling.

- Wrestling kept the place in the program of Olympic Games. But thus quantity of weight categories at women increased at the expense of reduction of categories at men. You consider, it was the fair decision?

- When I started wrestling, we had 10 weight categories. But I wouldn't like to discuss this tendency through a prism of relationship of the female manumission and man's disciplines of our federation. I don't see in it threat. It is convinced that the federation is capable to apply such innovation which is practised for a long time by fencers. They before the Olympic Games define, which disciplines will get to the Olympic program. The main thing that despite the obvious rigid competition inside, we showed that we can unite and change. And all the rest — this already internal affair of FILA.

- After you finished career in 2000, many wrestlers achieving success in a super heavyweight began to call "Karelin's successors". Whether there are now at us the outstanding personalities, capable is so strong how you, to associate with Greco-Roman wrestling?

- We have not a dinastiyny history, I here can have no successors. I am happy that Victor Mikhaylovich Kuznetsov who has brought up me, and before — the quadruple world champion in category to Vladimir Anatolyevich Zubkov's 48 kg, in 2012 showed to the world of one more Olympic winner Roman Vlasov and confirmed the rank of the trainer of Olympic champions. Somehow the basketball coach Leonid Yachmenev approached to me and asked, whether I will be entitled the deserved trainer for Vlasov's preparation? I answered: the trainer, "gardener" at us one — Kuznetsov, and I — "fertilizer" (laughs). On me such Rums grow, and I am happy with it.

If to speak about heavy weight, we have perspective guy Sergey Andrusik, too, by the way, the pupil of school of Kuznetsov. Unfortunately, neither on University games, nor in the World Cup it didn't show the best standards because doesn't believe in itself. We have today an acting double Olympic champion from Cuba Mikhayn Lopez. This is improbably powerful athlete, at which with equipment everything is all right. I think, new rules will allow it to open themselves even more brightly. He won't stand, wait for the duel termination. It has good competitors. This is the world champion-2013 from Iran Amir Aziz Aliakbari, the winner of the European championship and University games of Turks of Reese Kayalp. At us Sergey Semenov, the world champion among juniors grows up. The guy has excellent prospects. I think, in the Russian national team there will be a quadruple Olympic winner in heavy weight. But before it is necessary to live.

- Eleven years ago you said that you won't stand more in deputies of the State Duma. You then explained the decision to that aren't capable to help all who addresses to you, and it disappointed you. Since then you stood for the State Duma several times. Whether it means, what your relation to work of the people's deputy changed?

- The relation didn't change. Unfortunately, from this point of view, it wasn't succeeded to gain immunity. It is simpler to me to make something, than to explain why I can't make it. During the World Games of martial arts I approached to the president of the Petersburg Federation of Greco-Roman wrestling, asked why there is no audience on tribunes. We can't hold in the city of great champions Anatoly Roschin and Nikolay Solovyev match tournament on wrestling - with blank spaces. This issue should be resolved with organizing committee. Because wrestling without public - is inconceivable.

Irina Vasilyeva

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