Does it encompass only track and field, or soccer, or all sports?
It is more track and field. I began with track and field because this is what I know. You must be a specialist to do this properly. So I was focusing on athletics, and more and more [political] changes came. The former Soviet federation and the sports committee didn’t like what I did. I started the club and said that now I want to continue with the club, I do not want any support, any money, from the government side, from Moscow. I became a big enemy to them. They became angry with me and started to put incorrect stories about me in the newspapers. They tried to kill me. Q: You mean they tried to kill your club, kill you financially? A: You know, by my way [of thinking], it was an example for others. During that time there was [Gary] Kasparov, the chess player, hockey players and tennis players, who started to think and make changes in sport. I was the person in athletics. They did not want to have many examples of thinking athletes. It is better to have stupid sportsmen, young ones wh
