Russian sports manager strives for PyeongChang success

Nikolay Belokrinkin, the sports manager in charge of Alpine Skiing for the PyeongChang Olympics organizing committee, is seen in this photo taken during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games. / Courtesy of PyeongChang Olympics organizing committee

By Nam Hyun-woo

Nikolay Belokrinkin, 32, is a Russian sports manager in charge of alpine skiing for the 2018 PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG) and one of the most ardent supporters working for the success of the upcoming Winter Games.

Since March last year, Belokrinkin has been in Pyeongchang and Jeongseon in Gangwon Province ― isolated counties he would probably never have visited if it weren’t for the Olympics ― to provide his knowledge and expertise in holding and operating alpine competitions for Korean officials, who have less experience in holding international-level skiing events.

Among the sports managers for the POCOG, Belokrinkin is arguably the busiest, in preparation for the International Ski Federation (FIS) men’s downhill and super-G events which will take place Feb. 6-7 in Jeongseon as the first of 28 Olympic and Paralympic test events. Since its significance as the opener, the organizers, including Belokrinkin, are paying close attention to preparations.

“Sport managers are responsible for providing knowledge for other functions and other entities so that they can understand how to organize this event and meet the requirements of Olympic test events,” said Belokrinkin in a phone interview with The Korea Times. “So, I take care of every detail related to operating competitions ― controlling the snow, providing services for athletes and offering a better environment for competition.”

Belokrinkin had worked for the Sochi Olympics organizing committee as a deputy sports manager. This winter he is spending his busiest days focusing on having Jeongseon Alpine Center ready in time for a Jan. 20 deadline, when FIS inspectors will visit to check on its readiness for the event.

“It’s not only me who works very hard,” he said. “Many people work very hard and it is teamwork … The first year is very hard because people are still learning and the first test event is always full of challenges.”

But he sees similarities in preparations here with his work leading up to the Sochi Olympics.

“When I was working for the Sochi Olympics, we started with 30 people three years before the Games, then we developed ourselves into a group of 450 experienced people. People were enjoying that and that is our legacy right now.”

One of the surprises that made Belokrinkin sacrifice his holidays was the weather in Jeongseon. Due to unseasonably warm weather there, the organizers could not deploy snowmaking systems on the slopes, another blow in the already delayed construction schedule.

The warm temperature has not been the only concern in Korea. So far, eight out of 10 FIS World Cup events scheduled across Europe this year have been canceled or amended due to lack of snow. Favorable for Belokrinkin, however, the temperature in Jeongseon dropped below freezing in recent weeks, and as of Monday, the snowmaking on the slope for the February event is 100 percent done, according to POCOG officials.

“Every year is different with the weather, and the point is we have to prepare for the worst,” he said.

Belokrinkin said his commitment to his work stems from his love for the sport of alpine skiing.

The Russian was raised in what he described as a “ski family.” His father was the head coach for the Russian national ski team, while his mother was also an athlete-turned-coach. With the help of his parents, he started skiing at two years of age and participated in competitive skiing until he was 16 years old. Later on, as he followed in his father’s footsteps, he learned how to organize and prepare competitions and opted to pursue his career off the course.

“It was kind of a natural thing,” said Belokrinkin. “I followed competitions (with my father) in my young years and I had to help him. And later on, they just started to come to me and ask things about running a competition.”

And then came the Sochi Paralympic Games alpine events, which he recalled as the most memorable moment in his career. In the Paralympics, blind athletes ski down the slope ― almost as fast as Olympic athletes ― with a sighted guide shouting instructions through headsets.

“Due to the nature of the sport, there should be absolutely zero noise on the slope. When an athlete finishes, then all the spectators at the finish line go off like a bomb, cheering for the skill and sportsmanship the athlete showed. It was very touching and I was almost crying.”

“That’s why I’m doing this,” he said. “I want to make it happen once more and see the athletes and spectators become happy.”