Kirill Yakovlev:
Let's start with the most significant event in the world of armwrestling - the "TOP 8" Championship. The 2020 season, canceled due to the pandemic, was supposed to be another mountain top conquered not only by PAL, but also by the entire international armwrestling community. Indeed, this season should have been attended by the biggest armwrestling legends, including John Brzenk.
The 2020 season was supposed to be a powerful leap forward for the entire sport discipline as PAL did a lot of preparatory work in 2019.
In particular, contracts were signed with the world's largest sports television agencies at the world's largest TV content exhibition «Sportel". If the TOP 8 2020 season took place arm wrestling would appear on television screens in at least 50 countries.
Back in early 2020, we have visited the United States and other countries for talks with sponsors and we were building big plans. But the COVID-19 pandemic prevented our plans from coming true.
However, 2020 was not wasted for us. It was decided to use this time for "regrouping" forces, revising concepts and accents in work.
Among the positive conclusions, I would like to note the following. First, PAL entered 2020 prepared for the digital revolution.
The innovative URPA rating, in conjunction with the competition program, allowed the organizers to host world-class competitions within their countries with closed borders. Entering 2021, we are convinced that we have laid a powerful foundation for the further systemic development of the armwrestling industry. In the near future, all participants in the ranking will feel new benefits, including financial instruments to support athletes and organizers.
We have conducted hundreds of online training seminars for organizers and secretaries. Secondly, the value of sports television content has increased, for which the PAL team is an expert in the production. With the catastrophic drop in the number of "live" sporting events in the world, new opportunities have opened up for armwrestling, to which we pay a lot of attention today.
Third, due to the lockdown, the importance of interaction with the sports audience has increased, including the possibility of sports predictions and sports betting. Today we are working in this direction.
New “chamber” competition formats, adapted to the conditions of lockdown, have already been developed by our team and will be tested in 2021.
As we enter a new year, we hope that the restrictions associated with the pandemic will still allow us to have the next TOP 8 season in the near future. In addition to them, it depends on the period of preparation of the participants of this historical competition.
After a one-year break, they will need at least 3 months to regain their peak shape. Therefore, timing is everything. All athletes went through 2020 in different ways. Someone suffered from a virus, someone bypassed it.
The main thing is that today everyone is alive and well, which we wish to all armwrestling fans and their families.
PAL is looking into 2021 with optimism.
Despite the fact that the situation with lockdowns in different countries is still unpredictable, we, as usual, are working on the organization of the "Zloty Tur» Professional World Cup, we are negotiating with sponsors of TOP 8 and other events. We are doing our best to organize several great unforgettable events for the lovers of our wonderful sport. We also want to express our deep gratitude to the thousands of armwrestling fans who support all our endeavors with their ideas, finances and enthusiasm.
Our sport continues to grow and will soon take its well-deserved place among the world's sports disciplines.