UK-Russia sign MOU ahead of upcoming Olympic Games

British and Russian Olympic organizations have pledged to step up cooperation ahead of the forthcoming summer and winter Olympic games, just weeks after U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said that  such a move would boost mutual prosperity during a trip to Moscow.

On September 28, Colin Moynihan, chairman of the British Olympic Association (BOA), signed a memorandum of understanding with his counterpart Alexander Zhukov, president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), remarking that it showed a commitment to sharing best practices and improving relations.

“Today’s agreement displays our commitment to share best practice and support each other in the development of our relationships – both at National Olympic Committee level,” Moynihan said.

He also noted the “great responsibility to the Olympic Movement” that the organizations share as they prepare for the 2012 London Olympic Games and 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games, respectively.

On September 12, Prime Minister Cameron visited Russia, meeting President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin. Medvedev said the Olympic Games were “an important area in which we can work together,” while in his keynote speech, Cameron noted that the two countries have “complementary strengths” and similarly advocated cooperation in the run up to the Olympic events.

The agreement foresees experience-sharing in the following areas:

 • National sporting landscape, facilities, training conditions, venues and other sports performance information

 • Operational assistance between national governing bodies 

 • Logistical and planning preparations and experiences before, during and after the 2012 and 2014 Olympics

 • Promotion of the Olympics’ ethos of peace, fair play, and ethics

In a related development, a day after the agreement was inked, British paralympian legend Tanni Grey-Thompson was honored for her lifetime contribution to sport at the Elena Mukhina Paralympics Awards ceremony in Moscow. 

Grey-Thompson’s video message thanking the awards committee was broadcast to the assembled crowd, which included President of the International Paralympic Committee Sir Philip Craven and other assorted members of the BOA and ROC delegation.