The salaries of athletes competing on the Russian national team will be increased ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in the southern Russian town of Sochi, the Russian sports minister said on Monday.
At a meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Minister Vitaly Mutko said that currently professional athletes in Russia earn an average monthly salary of between 12,000 and 20,000 rubles ($400-670).
"We have secured support from the budget and an average salary will be increased to around 80,000 rubles [$2,770]," Mutko said, adding that the minimum wage would be 35,000 rubles and the maximum 120,000 rubles.
The sports minister said that numerous athletes had experienced problems when attempting to bring sports equipment into Russia for participation in international sports events. He asked the premier to raise the issue at a governmental level.
KHIMKI (Moscow Region), January 17 (RIA Novosti)
