OREANDA-NEWS. August 31, 2010.  Dmitry Medvedev met with medal winners from the Russian national youth team that took part in the first Youth Olympics.

The first Youth Olympics took place in Singapore on August 14-26, 2010 and around 3,600 boys and girls from 204 countries aged 14-18 competed in the event.

Russia’s athletes took second place overall in the team medal count, with 49 medals in all - 20 gold, 17 silver, and 12 bronze. President Medvedev congratulated each of the athletes separately and gave each a watch as a present, and also thanked the team’s trainers.

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PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA DMITRY MEDVEDEV: I’d like to say that you can immediately tell the difference between young athletes and mature ones: you guys have more energy. That’s fantastic.

You have just arrived. You’ve done great; you have truly demonstrated that sports in our nation have a future. When we root for our athletes who are competing at the Olympics, at world championships, and at other major competitions, we will always think about only one thing: that someone did a great job, won, and received a gold medal. And even if that sports event is not very familiar (we are more familiar with some sports and less familiar than others), you think: what happens next?

He will end his career as an athlete; but is this a random occurrence, or a pattern? The fact that you are here today and the fact that you had such a stellar performance at the first Youth Olympic Games shows that this is no accident. When I heard that our national team lost only to our Chinese friends, I was very pleased, because this is a good sign. It does not mean that we cannot compete with the Chinese. Clearly, they are many, but first of all, there are not so few of us, either, and second, as usual, quality always beats quantity. But the fact that you performed so well is wonderful: 20 gold, 17 silver, and 12 bronze medals.

What can I wish for you? Everything is still ahead of you. For all of you here today, all your lives are ahead of you – your lives in general, and your athletic lives. You are very fortunate, because you experienced the joy of victory at the very beginning of your lives and athletic careers. That is very important.

Naturally, victory demands some very serious efforts; you know all this, too, because although you are young, you are already serious athletes. Nevertheless, when this happens at the age of 14, 15, or 18, it’s much better than when it happens, for example, at age 30. And I think that this is a very good life lesson. I think that both you and I would like to thank your coaches, who truly love you and who have helped you win at these competitions. I hope that you have already thanked them properly. In the name of the government, I would like to say that theirs, too, is a truly enormous, selfless effort.

As for myself, when I engaged in athletics at your age, I always thought about the coaches who were with me (I was not as serious an athlete as you, so I was not as successful, which is why I have to work at my current job), but nevertheless, I always wondered about why they do their work.

Back then, during the Soviet period, it did not bring in a lot of money; indeed, the salaries were very modest. Nevertheless, these individuals poured all of their efforts into us, young boys. I came to understand that this is simply a calling, and that these are individuals who do not want to live otherwise.

They feel that this is their interest, their strength, and their purpose. Thus, I truly believe that the work of coaches must receive special appreciation, and not just in the form of money (this is a separate subject, although a very important one), but through recognition from athletes and the government as well.

There is a large variety of competitions that still await you. I hope that the Olympic Games in London are just around the bend, and that some of you will participate, while perhaps others among you will compete in the following Olympics.

In any event, I wish you happiness and I am genuinely happy for what you have done. I sincerely congratulate you on this enormous success.