Report on the recent Conference: “2018: A pivotal year for Russia?”

The conference “2018: A pivotal year for Russia?” organized by the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) in collaboration with the Geographical Society of Neuchâtel (Société Neuchâteloise de Géographie - SNG) on Thursday, the 3rd of May 2018, was a highly successful event. The guests were particularly delighted and listened carefully to the passionate lecturer, Professor Eric Hoesli. 

Born in 1957, Eric Hoesli is a Suisse journalist, and specialist of Russia. A former editor-in-chief of the “l’Hebdo”, he CREATED the journal “Le temps” in 1997, of which he was chief editor from 1998 until 2004. After having occupied different management positions within the groups of Edipresse and later on Tamedia, he was named in 2014 Professor at the EPFL and at the University of Geneva. He is also the author of the books “À la conquête du Caucase” (2006) and “L’épopée sibérienne” (2018), as well as a large number of articles dedicated to the ex-USSR and to the Russian world.

During the official opening of the conference, Pierre Cornu, President of the CIES Foundation Council and a judge at the Court of Appeals in Neuchâtel presented the lecturer and his career path.   

Professor Hoesli then took the floor and shared with the public his understanding and well-founded knowledge on Russia. With a historical, geopolitical and economical approach, he established the general framework of the conference while provided a profound understanding on this fascinating country. In a second part, he addressed the challenges linked to the sports industry, and more specifically to the FIFA World Cup that will take place in June. Professor Hoesli, through his deep understanding and expertise on Russia, successfully captured the attention of the public during the entire conference that was followed by a debate, where a large number of questions were asked.      

In closing the conference, Patrick Rérat, Professor at the Institute of Geography and Durability at the University of Lausanne concluded the event thanking the lecturer, the CIES and the SNG, who by organising this conference allowed the attendees to better understand the complexities of contemporary Russia.