It seems that soon after you took office, a kind of revolution started in the LOK.
George Tikmer. It is not a revolution, but rather an arrangement. This is the implementation of the program presented by the President and Secretary General of the LOK before the elections. In the past hundred days, we have moved from words to deeds. This program includes 27 different tasks. Of course, we cannot complete the entire four-year program in a hundred days, but we have started the fundamental work related to, conditionally speaking, the LOK inventory, the function audit. This concerns the LOK itself, the Latvian Olympic Social Fund (LOSF), the Latvian Olympic Unit (LOV), where the LOK is the main shareholder with a 59% share, and the Olympic Center system, where the LOK has capital shares of 65 million euros.
Kārlis Lejnieks. I would like to call it evolution, not revolution. We see that we can and want to work more efficiently in the current circumstances.
What practical steps does your program envisage and what have you started to do to implement it?
George Tikmer. First, it provides for a different creation of the LOK team. LOK currently has 11 employees, four of whom are involved in strategic decision-making in all sectors. They are motivated, very knowledgeable specialists in their field. But, of course, these forces are not enough. In order to involve other experts in the field of sports, we have established 12 commissions and sub-commissions, the work of which involves more than 70 representatives of sports federations and executive committees. Consequently, I believe that our team, which used to have only a few LOK employees, is now significantly expanded. And it is not just a discussion club – each commission has met, approved the management, also with the participation of the LOK management has defined its tasks for this year and next.
For instance?
George Tikmer. For example, the Committee on Legal Affairs has now drafted improvements or additions to the LOK’s statutes, compiling a number of proposals. Among other things, my proposal was to include in the LOC’s statutes a provision that would limit the President’s presence in the LOK for more than two consecutive terms, and I am pleased that this and other proposals have been assessed and supported by the Committee on Legal Affairs. Amendments to the Statutes will be forwarded to the General Assembly of the LOC for adoption next March. Other commissions and sub-commissions also work on topical issues. For example, the Subcommittee on Olympic Centers and Infrastructure, chaired by Mr Vējonis, examined the recommendations of the audit firm E&Y on improving the management of the Olympic Centers system. We have also been very active in the Winter Sports Subcommittee chaired by Mr Kola, the Finance Commission, the Ethics Commission have met in several meetings, etc. As a result, as I said, a large number of sports experts are involved in the work of the LOC. We are developing a new approach to LOK development.
The next important document that we prepared together with a large working group of all federations and adopted by our executive committee was the LOK strategy, available under the name LOK vision for 2030. I think it is also a turning point. Both because such a strategic planning document has been produced (because there are not many such documents for national Olympic committees in the world – we have analyzed them and also taken into account best practices), and because it marks a turning point in our thinking as an Olympic committee and later action. For the last 20-30 years, the main priority has been the Olympic medals, after which all the work has been judged, but in the future our main priority will be the Olympic movement and a healthy, motivated society, which also gives talented young people the opportunity to develop their skills. thinking about the olympics.
Kārlis Lejnieks. No matter how long a president or secretary-general holds office, it is important to have a longer-term action plan, even when there is another leadership. Of course, everyone can make their own adjustments, but at least there is a 10-year plan for where we want to go.
George Tikmer. The vision distinguishes two directions of work. The first is very well known, close to all sports experts – participation in the Olympic Games and the medals won in them. But here is a change of emphasis on the fact that the Olympic movement and society are an essential element. The priority is to change the situation in Latvia within 10 years, so that every second person living in Latvia could engage in physical activities at least once a week. And basically, this strategy is not focused on seniors or sports professionals in sports life, but on thinking about the younger generation and involving it with interesting methods and tools. Because if the new generation is healthy, motivated to strengthen their health and improve their skills, know how to use technology, we will have an Olympic team with more than 50 athletes and we will delight our fans by winning medals in the highest sports competitions.
Is the problem so acute that people need to be involved in sport? People do less sports than before?
George Tikmer. Yes, unfortunately it is. I myself was very surprised to see the data. I myself belong to the active part of people, it seems to me that a lot of people do sports, improve their health, but the actual trend is quite the opposite. In addition, the proportion of the population that does not engage in sport at all is increasing. For example, in the four years from 2014 to 2018, the share of non-sports has increased by 17 percentage points.
What needs to be done to prevent this?
George Tikmer. We must strive to change people’s attitudes towards their health. Motivation, argumentation must be given, health must be shown as a value.
Need to create an active lifestyle cult?
Kārlis Lejnieks. That is what we are doing. And the story is about the values of the Olympic movement as such. It includes this healthy lifestyle. Working with society in this regard is one of our tasks – and not just ours, but also that of other organizations. So we are moving away from the usual accent that only medals matter. We are shifting the focus to physical activity, regardless of age – everyone, from children, young people to seniors. The president of LOK is an excellent example of this – even after 60 years he is very active in sports, including academic rowing twice a week.
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