Pavel Bure, World Ice Hockey Champion and winner of a silver medal at the 1998 Olympic Games, said that sports was a force capable of consolidating nationalities. He believes that sports in the North Caucasus could harmonize interethnic relations and unite people.
Bure noted that he will promote the idea in the Krasnodar Territory and added that Governor of the Krasnodar Territory Alexander Tkachyov had approved it.
The hockey player recalled the past sports achievements. He said that financing of sports had increased a lot since the 1990s. Active development of sports for young people will help them grow into dignified and healthy citizens. Bure said that Ufa and Kazan had strong ice hockey clubs and noted Alexander Ovechkin and Yevgeny Malkin as well-known players.
