DUSHANBE, March 27 Asia-Plus - A ten-day refresher course has been organized for Tajik alpine skiing coaches in the Takob alpine skiing center in the Varzob district, Shirin Mamadsafoyev, Secretary General of Tajikistan’s National Olympic Committee (NOC), remarked at a briefing in Dushanbe on March 25.    

According to him, an expert from Kazakhstan Valery Bannikov was invited to conduct this training for Tajik coaches.  “The main objective of this course is in raising professionalism of our coaches,” Mamadsafoyev said, noting that 32 landmarks have been purchased under financial support of RusAl.  

Valery Bannikov speaking to journalists noted that Tajikistan could train sportsmen on several disciplines of the alpine skiing.  “I am pleased to see that both coaches and sportsmen show great interest in the course and are actively participate in the training,” Mr. Bannikov said.    

The Tajik NOC secretary general noted that serious difficulties faced the alpine skiing in Tajikistan .  “The alpine skiing in the republic does not have its material-technical basis,” Mr. Mamadsafoyev said.  

At the conclusion Shirin Mamadsafoyev noted that NOC was satisfied with performance of Tajik sportsman in the Winter Olympic Games in Turin .  

We will recall that Tajik alpine skier Andrey Drygin was 51 ^st among 54 sportsmen that participated in the high-speed descending discipline.   

“There ought not to emphasize on the 51 ^st place,” said Mr. Mamadsafoyev, “The important thing is that Tajikistan was the only Asian state that participated in this discipline.” 

Konstantin Zagrebelny, head of the RusAl representative office in Dushanbe , told journalists RusAl had provided some 12,000 U.S. dollars for training of Andrey Drygin.  

The refresher course for Tajik alpine skiing coaches in Varzob runs through March 30.