PM says every penny allocated from budget should reach athletes

On Tuesday, May 26, Koncha Zaspa Olympic Sports Training Center hosted a meeting of the organizing committee on preparation for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro chaired by Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister instructed to finance all expenditure on preparations for the 2016 Olympic Games provided in the State Budget: "We are facing a very difficult military, financial, social and economic situation. Nevertheless, we find the resources to pay all that budgeted and fully close all costs."

He stressed a need for transparent use of funds: "I want the money to reach an athlete, not a manager or bureaucrat who leaves a part of funds in a pocket, including through non-transparent procurement, tenders, bribery and corruption, which is in the sports sector as well."

Such corruption, according to him, is "especially horrible" because it has a moral component – when someone that deserves to participate in the Olympic Games or membership in the national team is not allowed to do this.

The Prime Minister appealed to the members of the Olympic Committee: "Such "a private limited company "is a remnant of the Soviet-era. But we have a different country, thus we should have a different attitude to each other. Many of you know how difficult it is to fight the way to the Olympus of the Olympic Games. Allow others to fight the way."

"Every penny that is now so difficult to allocate from the budget should reach an athlete," Arseniy Yatsenyuk underlined.

Before the meeting, Arseniy Yatsenyuk visited a gymnastics hall at Koncha Zaspa Olympic Sports Training Center and talked with coaches and athletes who are preparing to take part in the competition. Among them - absolute 2015 European Champion in gymnastics Oleh Verniaiev, 2012 Olympics Vault bronze medalist in London Ihor Radivilov.

The Prime Minister visited a weightlifting training hall, where he talked with the athletes and coaches of the Ukrainian women's weightlifting team, including 2015 European Champions Yuliia Kalyna, Yuliia Paratova and Anastasia Lysenko.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk also met with the athletes of the National Paralympic fencing team.