Skiing | According to Jelena Välbe, you could learn a lot from the Soviet times: “Everything is different”

Russian chairman of the ski association Jelena Välbe remember what it was like to sleep on the airport floor when your flight was delayed by an hour without explanation. According to the skiing boss, there was no fear of the same earlier this week, when the flight to the skiing competitions in Syktyvkar was moved a couple of times.

Välbe remembered the old days for Sport-Express in the interview he gave. In it, he told what things were missing from the Soviet Union and what things were better before.

“At that time (at the airport) there was nothing to do. There were no waiting rooms. If the flight was delayed, it was never announced in advance. Then we looked for a space, for example, under the stairs, placed a leaf as a sleeping pad, and slept in it. We brought our own food on the flights. When people took out their food, the whole plane was filled with the smell of food,” Välbe recalled.

Välben According to him, a lot could be learned from the times of the Soviet Union in today’s Russia. In particular, he is concerned about the state of youth sports. There will not be enough financial support.

According to Välbe, before, the state covered expenses from equipment to trips, but now a lot falls on parents’ shoulders.

“There is not enough support. Everything is completely different today. But we wanted a market economy. Everything is expensive for parents. People certainly have mixed memories of pioneer and Komsomol organizations, but I have only good ones. It would be good if in the future children had these again. Now we’re trying to build something new, but it’s not quite working.”

Russian ski boss Välbe has said in public that he supports the president even after the start of the war in Ukraine Vladimir Putin.

“I have voted for Vladimir Putin every time he has been elected president. That’s why I never argue, discuss or even think about his decisions – I trust him completely. I think it’s the right way to act,” Välbe told the Russian Ria Novosti around the turn of the year.

Välbe also finds something to criticize in the current state of his home country. For example, he regrets that the differences between the rich and the poor have grown so large. According to him, there is much more disagreement between people than before. Nowadays, in Välbe’s opinion, one can worry more about safety than before, Välbe told Sport-Ekspress.

“I have friends who live in their own house, and they don’t allow their children to invite their classmates over. They don’t want to cause envy. In Soviet times, this would have been unheard of. Everyone had Czech crystal, Romanian or Yugoslavian furniture,” the same carpets.

The 54-year-old Välbe represented the Soviet Union, Ivy and Russia in the 1980s and 1990s. He won three Olympic golds and 14 World Championship golds during his long career.