A new captain rises to the deck of the ministry: close to the sport, and the man is the champion of the world Sports

For many years, there has not been a single leader at the top of Lithuanian sports politics, whose word would be the most important.

Gone are the days when Rimas Kurtinaitis played basketball and at the same time headed the Lithuanian Department of Physical Culture and Sports and was called the Minister of Sports.

His successors competed with Daina Gudzinevičiūtė, president of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee, for leverage over the past decade, but the sports department was dissolved last year and took refuge under the wing of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports so deeply that the Minister Algirdas Monkevičius sports financing issues.

The sports community is now considering the role and focus of the future NMSM Minister.

“Sport will be my area of ​​responsibility and I intend to pay enough attention to it, as it is a very important part of society and the state.” 15 minutes said J.Šiugždinienė, 48, who had been seriously involved in sports in her youth.

Sailing she met her husband

The candidate for the post of director of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports spent all his childhood and youth in the Kaunas Petrašiūnai district, near the Kaunas Lagoon Yacht Club.

His brother was already sailing when the coach visited the school in search of a sailor in the Kadet class for double crew.

Thus, the 11-year-old girl immersed herself in a sport in which the ax and the spinnaker were no less important than the books when they landed.

The conditions were harsh, then there were no current waterproof suits, only a thin jacket, so the turns of the ships to the cold waves of the sea strengthened the girl not only physically but also psychologically.

“I gained courage and confidence in myself. As a child I was going calmly, and sailing, competing in the open sea not only with rivals, but also with myself, I gave a lot. Sailing was an essential thing that strengthened the character. I would like to try it for all the children, “said J.Šiugždinienė.

While sailing, she became a sports champion of the then USSR, winner of the union youth championships, and represented the Lithuanian national team.

He also met the love of his life.

Raimondas Šiugždinis, a five-year-old Kaunas resident who soon won great victories in sailing, praised her as she walked the shores of the Kaunas lagoon three decades ago.

R.Šiugždinis, who participated in the 1992 Olympic Games, reached the peak of his career in 1997, when he became European and world sailing champion in the Laser Radial class. This year, the sailor was voted the best athlete of the year in Lithuania, this has not been achieved by any other representative of his sport.

And his wife turned in the other direction.

“It already happened, life has dictated it. She dedicated herself more to science and I to sports,” said R. Šiugždinis, with whom J. Šiugždinienė had two children.

Put a kite and run

J.Šiugždinienė graduated from Kaunas University of Technology, obtained a master’s degree in public administration, worked in the United Nations Development Program, worked in the hottest countries in the world: Afghanistan, Palestine, and in 2008 received a doctorate in social sciences. She became an Associate Professor in the College of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, was the Chancellor of KTU, and in recent years has rapidly risen up the political ladder.

A year ago, she was elected leader of the Kaunas Union of the Lithuanian Christian Homeland-Democratic Union, and led the preparation of the party’s Seimas program.

Last year, J.Šiugždinienė lost a big margin to Visvaldas Matijošaitis in the Kaunas mayoral elections, but this fall she was elected to the Seimas for the first time, confidently winning in the Šilainiai constituency.

Among the areas under the minister’s supervision is physical activity, where she herself could be an example.

“There are many sports in my life,” said J. Šiugždinienė. – Maybe it’s a little different than before. Now I like to run, I run often as soon as I get the chance. We fly power kites. Naturally, I have to watch the navigation often because my husband does. It is true that the current activity takes a long time, sports are still less than I would like.

“Sometimes we ride amateurs,” added R. Šiugždinis. “Just as people sit on a boat or get on a windsurf board, they also sail on vacation.”

R.Šiugždinis himself has established himself in the motor boat manufacturing business and is still actively involved in competitions. Last year, she received an award from Minister A. Monkevičius when she won silver in the X-35 Yacht Class World Championship in Sweden with the Cool Water crew.

If this continues to happen, R. Šiugždinis may receive an award in the same ministry as his wife.

But conversations about sports probably won’t carry over home. “In the family we are well separated from work and personal life. The family is not the place where labor issues are discussed, ”J. Šiugždinienė asked if she would ask her husband for advice.

Who will replace Cornelia Straight?

Many more important works than awards still await J.Šiugždinienė in the Ministry, as well as in sports policy.

He said he wanted to dig deeper and work with the sports community to highlight the greatest strengths and weaknesses of the country’s sports system.

„I see that friendship issues between professionals and representatives of physical activity and health need to be addressed, and there is a lot of opposition in their discussions, although both areas need attention because they are very important, – said J. Šiugždinienė. – Training of young athletes, sports facilities, social security issues. There are many problem areas, but I would like to go deeper. “

The new minister will elect four vice ministers, one of whom will be responsible for sports.

Kornelija Tiesnesytė has held this position for the past year, but her successors have been talked about for some time.

Among them are the former director of K. Tiesnesytė in the sports department Edis Urbanavičius, as well as the director of the Lithuanian Athletics Federation Rimantas Mikaitis. This is the former mayor of the Kaunas municipality, a member of the Liberal Movement.

E. Urbanavičius does not belong to any political party, although he has been working at the Seimas for the last year as an assistant to the liberal Virgilijus Alekna.

“There were several conversations, but I have not received a specific offer,” said E. Urbanavičius, who has already finished his job at Seimas, but does not hide his desire to continue his work in the public service.

According to Delfi Mindaugas journalist Augustus, potential candidates include Virginijus Daukšys, Director of the Games Supervision Service, and Agnė Vanagienė, LTOK Project Manager, who was recently confirmed as the head of the Lithuanian national team for the Winter Olympics. of Beijing 2022.

On Wednesday, J. Šiugždinienė stated that he had not spoken to any of the applicants mentioned in the media.

“It is important that a person in these positions can join, be trustworthy, be a certain moderator, using professionalism and competence,” said J. Šiugždinienė. – But I don’t know yet. An early question. I’m just a contender. “