Her performances were followed by all Russians. Beautiful, winsome and artistic, she excited admiration of both the public and the stern judges. But any victory is the result of hard workouts, self-restriction, and drudgery. A good athlete is always made of guts, will, and commitment. All these qualities are needed every day, in and out of the gym. Having retired from sports, Alina Kabaeva has not vanished in the dark. Today she is deputy chair of the State Duma Youth Committee.

— Alina, you were the initiator of the ongoing Youth Year in Russia. Which of this year’s projects do you supervise personally?

To begin with, I’m really glad that 2009 has become the Youth Year, because I think youth issues have been out of the spotlight in the recent years. The Youth Year programme comprises about sixty nationwide projects. All of them have been approved by the Organising Committee and the Government. They include some really large-scale initiatives aiming to support young students, scientists, journalists, entrepreneurs, disabled people... Many of the projects are not just one-time events but intend to provide long-term support. The Russian Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy is in charge of all the Youth Year projects. I have proposed two projects. The first one is designed to assist young physically disabled people and involves creating Internet rooms in boarding schools for the disabled, as well as teaching them to use Internet. The other is a series of educational workshops for young journalists from all over Russia, who can talk to prominent media people about journalistic culture and values. The project also includes study tours to some national TV channels and newspapers. Travelling, accommodation, and training is free to the journalists. Both projects are funded by my charity foundation.

— How are the journalists selected?

A person is eligible to participate if he or she is under 30 and has worked as a journalist for at least half a year.

— Where will the first project for young disabled people be implemented?

In Tatarstan’s boarding schools, because I was elected to the parliament from that region. The project is already under way. I think it’s very important to us all. The disabled find it harder to socialize and find jobs. The Internet can help solve this problem. Besides, access to global intellectual resources gives young people wider opportunities for further education. The project not just envisages technical support. The boarding school Internet rooms will have staff to teach them how to use these resources intelligently. I’m not only going to be there when the Internet rooms are launched, but I will also keep track of how they function.

— When the Youth Year was proposed, the domestic and global economy was much more stable. Have the changes affected the organisers’ plans in any manner?

The amount that was initially committed to all the Youth Year projects was 622 million roubles, and as far as I know, there have been no cuts. But what I want to say is: No matter how much we spend to support young people, no matter what benefits the state is going to provide, everyone must try to rely on themselves in the first place, be proactive and care about their own future. This year the government is to spend 4.6 billion roubles for young families under the national housing programme. But we have 38 million young people in the country, and many of them don’t own any property, so the problem is not easy to handle. Certainly, we must help youngsters get on their feet. But the state’s first priority should be those who are socially unprotected—children, aged and disabled people. Young and healthy adults can make it themselves. We know many people who started their own businesses, became heads of companies, or managed banks at the age of 25.

—You have a website and a Live Journal blog. What questions are you asked most often? What topics are most discussed?

Questions and topics are very diverse. Last month, there have been many discussions and questions about the Common State Exam. I often get messages from young girls who begin to do rhythmic gymnastics, or their parents. They ask me about my sports career and about my current activities or just about life. It’s hard to say which topics are most frequent. Some criticise me, too. But I’m absolutely open to criticism, provided that it’s reasoned and polite. Any reasonable opinion is welcome, it makes me develop and make progress. So I’m grateful to all who care about me, support me, or criticise me.

— Which requests or proposals from your constituents have been most extraordinary?

I receive a great deal of requests and proposals. Two of them stick in my memory because of their singularity. A war veteran asked me to help him record a song dedicated to the Unknown Soldier. It was surprising to learn that there have been no songs like this in our country. The man wrote the lyrics himself. And I liked it very much, by the way. He said he wanted it to be performed on a music festival but he had no money to record it. I addressed his request to the ministry of culture, and they answered very soon. They liked the lyrics, too. The song has been recorded and will be featured in a music festival this autumn. The other story is also untypical. There are many rich Russians now who can afford things like private aircraft. It’s legal, but people around them have their own rights, too, and they must not be infringed. So the story is: I had a complaint from residents of a village who suffered from a private helicopter landing site located near their homes. There was a kindergarten, a school, and residential houses in the vicinity of the site. Many people complained about noise and dirt, and the helicopters were a hazard to the lives of the villagers, particularly children. I contacted the Federal Aeronautical Service and the Moscow Region Public Prosecutions Department, and I found out that the private landing site had been built illegally. After our intervention, its operation was terminated and the residents’ rights were restored.

— What do you feel when you manage to help someone?

You know, power to help people is certainly a great responsibility, but it’s also a great pleasure. If I can help or support someone, I do it with joy. We must remember that MPs are elected by people, so helping people and solving various questions is our work, our direct and very important responsibility. And I’m making it. You take pleasure in what you do when it works out.

— Did it work out from the very beginning? What have you had to learn anew for the last two years?

Certainly, there were many things that I had never done before. But I never hesitate to ask when I don’t know or can’t easily understand something. I’m sure there’s no shame in that. No one is omniscient, but you can and have to learn all along. It’s normal. It’s true that I’m not a lawyer, but I have advisers to help me and explain things. Sometimes my personal experience is helpful in my legislative activity. This was the case with amendments to the NGO law, where my proposals were based on the difficulties I had faced when registering my charity foundation. So I’m learning, I’m taking advice, and before I sign a document I double-check everything many times. I’ll never put my signature until I have completely understood all the nuances.

— Where do you think it’s harder to realise oneself, in sports or in politics? And which of your qualities that you developed during your sports career are helping you today?

Both are not easy. Any occupation has its difficulties. But any challenge, any failure makes me look for ways to overcome a difficult situation and move on. Sport has taught me to set goals and achieve them. I can’t live without a purpose. That’s why even when I achieve a purpose I don’t relax. I set a new one and go for it. Until recently, such a goal was the Children’s Rhythmic Gymnastics Festival, which my foundation held on the threshold of June 1, Children’s Day. My initial idea was to organise a competition but then I decided it would be a very hard test for little girls. What I actually wanted was just to make it a joyful event for the kids. I remember myself when I was little, how much I suffered every time the prize went to someone else! So I decided to let all participants be winners and feel like stars. It panned out as a splendid sports festival. It gathered gymnasts from all over Russia, as well as children’s and adult musical ensembles. We invited more than three thousand children from orphanages to watch it. How many gifted kids we saw! How many happy faces! I’m eager to hold the festival again next year and make it international. My team and I have contributed so much energy, time, and thought to it. But it’s over, and it means it’s time to begin a new project, set a new goal.

— What will it be?

Now my most important objective is to complete the sports centre in Tskhinval. When I came to South Ossetia right after the hostilities, when I saw the destruction of the city, I understood I couldn’t keep out of it. The room where the gymnasts exercised was in a horrifying condition, with a shell hole in the ceiling. The gym where wrestling competitions had recently taken place was destroyed completely, nothing remained. But people continued to exercise and do sports even in those conditions! Life was going on... I wanted to do something for Tskhinval’s residents, to help them somehow. That’s how the idea to build a sports complex was born. First I intended to build gyms for rhythmic gymnastics there but then I decided to unite several sports so that weight-lifters and wrestlers could also exercise in it. The sports centre will include several gyms, two swimming pools, a medical room, and a small hotel for athletes. Construction has already begun. It’s financed by my charity foundation. We receive donations from both organisations and individuals — people understand it’s a good cause.

— Do you still have for any sports?

Yes, I do fitness. After the Olympic Games, I didn’t do any exercise for a year and half, so tired I felt both morally and physically. Now I work out at least three times a week and I do it with great pleasure. Generally speaking, if you have a habit to do some sport, it becomes difficult to get along without it. It’s normal. Movement is life, and sports help you keep fit.

— In addition to legislative work, you also host a TV show. On which basis do you choose who to invite to your Steps to Success? And what does your audience learn from their stories?

This is my own show. As the author and the host, it’s up to me who to invite. Naturally, I invite those who I’m really interested in. And undoubtedly, I learn a lot from my guests. I was very pleased that while no one knew about the show and it was just being created, such stars as Yevgeny Mironov, Grigory Leps, and Andrei Arshavin agreed to participate. It was a substantial leg-up—people trusted me without knowing what the series would be like. It seems I can draw people out. But I never overuse their sincerity. When someone tells me the show will loose popularity without “hot stuff”, I always say I’ll never betray myself. So my show will never become gutter journalism.

—Tell about the most memorable episodes that you believe to be a success.

You know, each episode is different in its own way. And it looks like the show becomes better as I develop as an interviewer. I feel joy every time I manage to expose my guest to the audience. It brings such a pleasure, such a drive! And of course, episodes with older people turn out to be totally exceptional.

— Whose opinion do you value most? Who do you consult when you make important decisions?

My mother’s opinion is very important to me. She’s a wise person and always “hits the mark”. Sometimes I feel that something is perfect and she listens and says: “You know, I wouldn’t say so.” I begin to hesitate and then, after some time, I understand that my mother was right. Her insight never lets her down. So I always listen to her advice. When I was a child, I couldn’t even think we’d ever become friends. She was a harsh parent with a carrot-and-stick approach.

— You were born in Tashkent. Do you often find time to visit your kinsfolk? Do you miss the city of your childhood?

I try to get there as often as I can, to see my grandparents and my father, who I love very much. Daddy visited me in Moscow recently. And before the New Year’s eve I went to Tashkent and saw my relatives. Certainly, they are proud of me and love me, too. It’s natural—I’m their blood.

— What were your strongest childhood impressions?

Some of the brightest memories are my emotions on the stadium where we came to support dad when he played for Pakhtakor football club. The house was always full for the games, and if my father scored a goal everybody jumped up and shouted and exulted. If they swore at him—fans’ moods change quickly—I suffered very much and tried to defend him: “He’s my father! Don’t touch him!” Dad was seldom at home, going to workouts and training camps all the time, but he became a role model for both of us, me and my sister Lisana. I always felt proud of my parents, and I hope my children will be proud of me in the same way.

— Alina, you’re a bright and successful person, so it’s natural that the papers often write about you and publish some spoof sensations about your private life. Have you learned to be insensitive to such things?

It’s hard to make myself not to feel anything at all. Such things do hurt me. But people I care about most are my family members, friends and colleagues. Their opinions are really important, and I will listen to them. Those who tell bedtime stories about me, they don’t even know me. But what can I do? I’ve never been a fame junkie, never wanted to be on TV, as kids say. My childhood dream was to become a world champion. I didn’t understand at that time how it happens and what it takes. But still, those fantasies helped me, as they provided the first impetus. Sometimes you just don’t know where to begin. You need to make the first step to understand where to go next. Nothing comes easy. Nothing can be achieved without hard work. The key is to begin, to make the first step.

— Was that your only childhood dream?

It was until I knew that there were also the Olympic Games and that Olympic winners were much more “big-league” than world champions.

— Today you are much sought after—you work in the State Duma, run a charity foundation, host a TV show... Do you have any free time and how do you spend it? Do you like travelling?

Yes, I’ve got many things to do, and each of them is valuable in its own way. I don’t have much time to relax. I travelled to Kizhi recently and I really enjoyed it—the nature, the quiet and peace. Russia is full of wonderful places that I’d like to see: Kamchatka, Siberia, Lake Baikal. I hope I will some day. Free time is really very limited. I don’t often have a chance to sleep enough. But when I do, I sleep myself out. I like going to the countryside. I always go to see my mum and sister and the dog, Nika. But I can’t relax for too long. On Sunday, I long to go to work again.

Irina Ovechkina

July 2009 

Women of Russia’s Future, a supplement to Ekonomika i Zhizn weekly