Alexander Karelin
Май 16th, 2012 -- Posted in strong | No Comments »Alexander Karelin is Distinguished Master of Sport in Graeco-Roman wrestling, a three-time Olympic champion, nine-time world champion, twelve-time European champion, a Deputy of the Russian State Parliament and a Hero of Russia.

He is the illustrious embodiment of an individual sport- Graeco-Roman wrestling- yet he is positive that there is no greater achievement than teamwork. In politics and in sport the rules are basically the same- to achieve the aim you have to put the interests of the team first; you have to ensure that the actions of everyone involved work in concert.
After the 2007 election campaign the overriding task facing the Stavropol Region branch of the national United Russia political party was to justify the trust placed in it by the people of Stavropol.
“It is vital to form a team of active, responsible people,” says Karelin. “Their goals should not be confined to narrow party
issues. Above all they need to look after the interests of the citizens of Stavropol. They supported us in the elections, placed their hope in the party, and so we do not have the right to cheat them. My motto is “Measure Up”. This is not about teasing the electorate and making promises. We need to explain the need for innovation and reform, and that everything is within our reach if we roll our sleeves up and work to make our lives better.”
One sign of the new approach is the start given to United Russia’s
“Construction of Physical Education and Health Complexes”
programme. Sports centres filled with modern equipment have appeared in Neftekumsk, Krasnogvardeyskoe, Rodnikovskoe in Azgirskiy County, Svetlograd, Kochubeevskoe and Letnyaya Stavka in Turkmenskiy County.
Deputy Alexander Karelin lent his support to these projects because he is convinced that physical education and sport teach
discipline, how to strive for a goal and how to turn a situation to your advantage, and also have a revitalising effect.
No Crisis For Children Another of the noted athlete’s themes is “No Crisis For Children”, since he is always in favour of giving boys and girls the opportunity to realise their potential through sport, art and creativity. With his help the town of Yessentuki was able to obtain streetball equipment; the children’s sports school in Donskoe, Trunovskiy County was allocated a wrestling mat; and the boarding school for disadvantaged children in the village of Kaskadniy, Andropovskiy County received fitness equipment and a running track.
Karelin said, “The gleam in a happy child’s eye can achieve miracles. He will cope with any difficulties he encounters on the path to achieving his particular goal.” His own timetable is as full as ever: lots of trips around the country, meetings with the community and debates on topical issues.
The Novosibirsk boy made good has not forgotten his native town. All the Karelin Fund’s projects continue apace. He even has a role in the Sport Wrestling Federation of Russia. The women’s wrestling Russian Championship held in Stavropol last year is a good illustration of this.
“If children, having seen a colourful competition, later join a sports club and start to do sports, start regularly doing exercise in the morning, that means that our efforts have not been in vain, that the seed has fallen on fertile ground. And any sport is a unit, a team. For the young it is also a good guide and a school of relationships, which will come in useful whether he becomes a champion or finds success and recognition in
another aspect of our multifaceted lives. Days in the life of a deputy
A lot of a deputy’s work consists of dealing with the urgent
personal problems of his fellow citizens- help with moving out of
derelict housing or with receiving land, resolving difficulties with Russian citizenship for refugees from the Caucasus, and much
more besides.
Karelin believes that one of the instruments for improving life in
today’s Russia is community organisations. Their role has increased hugely in recent years. But in the name of greater effectiveness it is essential to open a dialogue, to exchange experience, to plan work together. For this reason Karelin suppported holding a conference entitled “Community Organisations in the South of Russia in the Context of Forming a Civil Society: the History, Problems and Future of Development”.
The conference was held at Stavropol State University.
“A deputy’s position is an opportunity to work to your limit and use your experience on behalf of your fellow citizens,” believes Alexander Karelin. “People are our country’s most important
treasure, and we should give them the chance to be heard.”
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also: Iron Samson – the strongest man of the Earth


