Olympic Training Center (Saransk)

The Olympic Training Center (TsOP) in Saransk is an Olympic reserve sports school for track and field, known for raising Olympic champions in race walking. The center also operates a swimming pool and fitness center open to the general public, offering single visits, memberships, water aerobics, yoga, Pilates, stretching, and personal training. The school is located in the Proletarsky District of Saransk, the capital of the Republic of Mordovia, next to the Culture and Recreation Park, at 3A Pobedy Street (residential boarding school) and 3B Pobedy Street (track-and-field arena and fitness center); phone (8342) 24-68-86.

History

The center opened in 1995. Its creation was spurred by the victory of Mordovian athlete Irina Stankina at the World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, where she won gold in the women's 10 km race walk. Following that success, the republic's administration decided to develop race walking in a focused way and create a specialized school.

The center's head coach and one of its founders was Viktor Chegin, an Honored Coach of Russia and Honorary Citizen of the Republic of Mordovia. Under his leadership, Mordovian race walkers went on to win at the Olympic Games and the World and European Championships.

Alumni

The center has produced a whole generation of Olympic medalists and champions: Valery Borchin, 2008 Olympic champion in the 20 km walk; Olga Kaniskina, 2008 Olympic champion in the 20 km walk; Denis Nizhegorodov, bronze medalist at the 2004 Olympics in the 50 km walk, and others. The school now has branches in 22 districts of the Republic of Mordovia.

Doping scandal and reorganization

In 2016, Viktor Chegin's career ended in a doping scandal: several of his athletes were disqualified for using banned substances, and the coach himself received a lifetime ban. The center was subsequently reorganized and renamed, dropping Chegin's name from its title. Today the institution is called the "Olympic Reserve Sports School for Track and Field" (Mordovia State Autonomous Institution of Additional Education "SShOR for Track and Field").

Facilities

A new school building covering over 12,000 square meters opened in 2014. The complex includes a 48-room residential boarding facility for athletes, a track-and-field arena, a weight room, a fitness hall, a swimming pool, a medical rehabilitation center, a canteen, a bathhouse, and a laundry.

Getting there

The center is located on Pobedy Street in the Proletarsky District of Saransk. By public transport: buses and shuttle vans to a stop near Pobedy Street and Kovalenko Street. By car: about 10 minutes from downtown Saransk.