Russia and Belarus welcome the act of a member of the Belarusian delegation Andrei Fomochkin, who carried the Russian flag at the opening of the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Recall that the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro took place on September 7 at the Maracana stadium. During the parade of athletes, one of the representatives of the Belarusian delegation unfurled a flag at the stadium. The athlete walked with him for about a quarter of the circle, after which the flag was confiscated by the organizers.

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova called the act of the Belarusian heroism.

“Let me make a few remarks not as an official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, but simply as a person. We have a hero today. Heroes can be different, today for us this is a man who in Rio, at the opening of the Paralympic Games, took out the Russian flag in honor of those who vilely and inhumanly were not allowed to the Paralympics. Such things are not forgotten,” said Zakharova, opening the traditional briefing.

The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman also invited representatives of the British edition of the Guardian to Russia to meet with Paralympic athletes after journalists said that the appearance of the Russian flag at the opening of the Paralympics spoiled the good mood of the event.

Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov believes that Fomochkin's act is admirable.

“Certainly, this is an act. What the Belarusian Paralympic athletes have done is admirable. And, of course, we highly appreciate such a manifestation of solidarity with our Paralympic athletes, who were completely undeservedly and unfairly deprived of the opportunity to compete at the Paralympics,” Peskov told reporters.

The presidential press secretary also commented on the initiative of the vice-president of the Russian Paralympic Committee, who proposed to award the Belarusian athlete with the Order of Friendship.

“I can’t say yet, I don’t know, but on the other hand, if the vice president thinks so, then he has every opportunity to come up with such an initiative,” Peskov said.

The head of the Russian Paralympic Committee, Vladimir Lukin, thanked Fomochkin and said that Russia would never forget the gesture of the Belarusian athletes and would continue to "pay with the same coin."

“I am yet to find out whether it was an action of the Belarusian committee or an individual athlete, but in any case, I welcome and thank my Belarusian colleagues. We are always friends with them,” he said.

The position of the Paralympic team of Belarus, which organized the action with the removal of the flag, is shared by the leadership of this country.

“This initiative of the delegation of the Paralympic Committee of Belarus, this position is shared by the leadership of the country. This is the state position too,” said the press secretary of the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko Natalya Eismont.

The International Olympic Committee (IPC), meanwhile, is outraged by such an act. Sports organization in currently decides on sanctions on this issue.

In addition, a flash mob was launched on Facebook in support of suspended Russian Paralympic athletes. Users of the social network are going to not go online on September 18 due to the fact that our Paralympic athletes did not enter the arena in Rio on September 7.

Earlier, the head of the Paralympic Committee of Belarus, Oleg Shepel, called the removal of Russian athletes from the Games the most wrong step in the history of the Paralympic movement. He also said that at the opening ceremony he would unfurl the Russian flag on the podium. In response, the IPC said they would regard such a gesture as a "political protest" and take "certain measures."

The Russian team was suspended from the 2016 Paralympic Games after the report of the World anti-doping agency(WADA), which unsubstantiatedly refers to the “doping system at the state level” existing in the Russian Federation. Later, individual claims of athletes for a decision were rejected in various instances.

The Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will last until September 18. The Russian team holds its own competitions on September 8–9 in the Moscow region.

The Olympic rings of the 2016 Summer Games creak, but turn, and there is less and less time left before the opening ceremony of the main sports tournament of this year. The current Olympics began its journey long before August 5 - with scandals about the expulsion of Russian athletes. And there is no doubt that the Games in Rio de Janeiro will be remembered primarily by this very side, far from sports.

But be that as it may, life goes on, and sports - too. The Russian Olympic team has already arrived in Brazil. The official website of the Olympics published the composition of the Russian delegation, it included 271 people. However, it is still not completely clear which of them will be allowed to take part in the Games and which will not. The Americans were outraged because of the flag of Russia on the form of the national team

Sports courts and commissions are still deciding on the admission of Russian athletes to the Olympics on an individual basis, and cases will be decided up to the opening day.

The confusion here is such that the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and a specially created commission now and then postpone press conferences, fearing to comment on anything, and cancel each other's decisions. As the journalists in Rio bitterly joke, it will come to the point that the Russians will be disqualified after the start of the Olympics - right during the competition, and even the awards.

Those Russian athletes who are nevertheless allowed to compete will have to speak for their absent colleagues, including athletes who have been excommunicated from the Games all in a crowd, without dividing into right and wrong.

This, according to boxer Misha Aloyan, should add to their sports anger. “We will fight for our entire country, because our strongest athletes in athletics have been suspended from participation in the Olympic Games. Therefore, we will fight for them too,” promised the bronze medalist of the 2012 Games in London.

The flag of Russia in Rio is almost like a miracle

On the opening day, the Russian team will be held in front of the stands, among other delegations. And our team will be led, as expected, by a standard-bearer with the Russian tricolor. It is strange to remember that just a few days ago, even the fact that we would see this flag at the Rio Games was in doubt. Sports officials expect the stands to greet the Russians warmly - fans around the world are outraged by the persecution of Russian athletes, considering it unfair.

An experienced 40-year-old volleyball player Sergei Tetyukhin was assigned to carry the flag of the Russian national team. By tradition, the flag bearer in the national team is chosen at the meeting by the athletes themselves - the captains of teams in various sports. Among the requirements that this person must meet include his sports merit, the presence of Olympic medals and authority among colleagues.

Also, when choosing, the schedule of performances at the Olympics is taken into account, because participation in the opening ceremony with a flag in hand turns into considerable physical and psychological stress. The standard-bearer will have to hold a flag weighing several kilograms for at least half an hour. Needless to say, in this case, many eyes will be riveted on him. You also need to take into account the three-hour wait for the start of the celebration and two hours for the opening ceremony itself. That is why not all eminent athletes become standard bearers.

Standard-bearers of the past led by Karelin

In the history of the national teams of Russia, the CIS and the USSR, there were 25 flag bearers, some of the athletes were honored with such an honor more than once. Novosibirsk Alexander Karelin stands apart here, who carried the flag three times at the opening of the Games, and three teams - the USSR (in 1988 in Seoul), the CIS (in 1992 in Barcelona) and Russia (in 1996 in Atlanta). Weightlifter Yuri Vlasov, wrestler Nikolai Balboshin, hockey player Vladislav Tretiak and skier Alexei Prokurorov were flag bearers twice each. Analysts predicted Russia's place in the medal standings of the Olympics

Weightlifter Yakov Kutsenko became the first Olympic flag bearer in the USSR. It happened in 1952 at the XV Summer Olympic Games ah in Helsinki. On the winter games Soviet Union debuted in 1956 in the Italian Cortina-D "Ampezzo, then the skater Oleg Goncharenko was entrusted to carry the flag.

Per last years Swimmer Alexander Popov (Athens), speed skater Dmitry Dorofeev (Turin), basketball player Andrei Kirilenko (Beijing), hockey player Alexei Morozov (Vancouver), bobsledder Alexander Zubkov (Sochi) became the flag bearers of the Russian national team.

Separately, it is worth noting the tennis player Maria Sharapova, who carried the Russian flag at the opening ceremony of the Games in London four years ago. She is the only woman in the glorious list of national standard-bearers.

The harder it is, the better we perform

For Sergei Tetyukhin, the Rio Olympics will be the sixth. Since Sydney 2000, he, along with the team, has never been left without a medal. He has two bronzes, one silver and one gold, the latter being obtained at the previous Games in London.

The participation of the volleyball player in the London Olympics was in doubt - the doctors diagnosed him with a heart rhythm disorder and only a month before the start of the competition they were allowed to resume training. After the 2012 Games, Tetyukhin announced his retirement from the national team, but returned in July 2015 and helped her win a ticket to Rio. To date, the athlete has played 312 official matches for the national team, in which he scored 2418 points and 514 played innings, which is an absolute record.

“I will be given the honor to go ahead of the column, to go under the flag of a great power, great country", - Tetyukhin commented on his appointment.

He also spoke about the situation around the Russian Olympic team: “There, in Rio, we need to fight for ourselves and for them. It won't be easy, it will be very difficult. But you know that the Russian people grow stronger in difficult times. The more difficult the circumstances, the better we perform.”

In general, given the situation, experts are cautious with forecasts about the performance of Russian athletes. “We do not make any predictions about medals,” said Alexander Zhukov, President of the Russian Olympic Committee. But Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko is more frank. “Our athletes will take part in 30 sports out of 34. And in 19-20 we will be competitive,” the head of the Ministry of Sports promised.

According to the Consul General of the Russian Federation in Rio de Janeiro Vladimir Tokmakov, about 12,000 Russian fans will visit the Olympic Games. The opening ceremony of the Olympics will take place on August 5 at the Maracanã stadium. In Russia, at this time, August 6 will already come. The ceremony will start at 2:00 Moscow time.

As you know, the Russian team was not allowed to the Paralympics, but this did not prevent the national tricolor from flashing at the opening ceremony of the Games. Belarusian neighbors helped, during the parade of athletes they carried not only their own flag, but also the Russian one.

However, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) did not appreciate this gesture and launched an investigation against the Belarusian delegation.

Press Association journalist Matt McGeehan later tweeted that the identity of the athlete who carried the flag had been established and the tricolor itself was confiscated.

“As I understand it, the member of the Belarusian national team who carried the Russian flag [at the opening ceremony of the Paralympics] has been identified. The flag has been confiscated. The IPC decides how to proceed in this situation.”

McGeehan wrote.

In Russia, the deed of the Belarusians was appreciated. Three-time Olympic champion in pair skating, Irina Rodnina, now considers her neighbors "brothers," and Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the man who carried the flag a hero.

Later, the name of the "hero" became known. It turned out to be not a Paralympic athlete, but the director of the Republican Center for Olympic Training in Athletics Andrei Fomochkin.

President of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) Vladimir Lukin said that he would never forget the deed of the Belarusians.

“I can only thank our Belarusian colleague, an athlete whose name I, unfortunately, do not know yet. In this difficult time, he remembered us, about justice, about the fact that politics should not interfere with sports competitions. Especially in the Paralympic, which have a special humane meaning.

It's great that the Belarusians remembered the closest country, Russia.

We will not forget this and will continue to pay in the same coin. I will find out whether it was an action of the committee of Belarus or an individual athlete, but in any case, I welcome and thank my Belarusian colleagues. We are always friends with them, ”TASS quotes Lukin.

It should be reminded that from the very beginning the Belarusian delegation planned to carry the Russian flag at the opening ceremony.

“As the head of the Paralympic Committee of Belarus, I am not going to remain silent either here or in Brazil. I even instructed to take Belarusian and, definitely, Russian flags to the opening of the Games in Rio. I will definitely have them there, ”said Oleg Shepel, chairman of the Paralympic Committee of Belarus.

However, the IPC forbade the team to demonstrate the national tricolor, referring to the fact that Russia does not take part in the Paralympics, and, accordingly, its flag should not be.

Otherwise, the committee promised to consider such an act as a “political protest” and impose serious sanctions on the Belarusians.

After that, Shepel softened the rhetoric, explaining that he was misunderstood. True, the functionary was still going to take the tricolor to the guest box.

“As for the Russian flag, my previous words were misunderstood or interpreted. Do not confuse sports with politics. The official delegation, which will enter the Marakana stadium, will carry the national flag of Belarus. And no other,” said Shepel.

However, in the end, the Belarusians carried the Russian flag, which means that the entire delegation may face serious punishment up to suspension from the Games, although this option looks unlikely. But Fomochkin, who carried the flag, can really leave Rio.

As for the Russian Paralympic athletes, they will demonstrate their abilities at the "alternative games" in the Moscow region, which were also opened the day before. The ceremony took place in the Moscow "Crocus City Hall".

The Russian Government has already promised to financially encourage domestic athletes.

“The government of the country has decided to encourage our Paralympic athletes in the same way as if you competed at the Paralympic Games in Rio. If you show the results that correspond to the world level at which you are ready, - said the Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko, addressing the participants of the "alternative games". —

I would like to say that we regret that it turns out that today we do not take part in a big sports festival, a sports festival. But I am sure that these are temporary difficulties, the RCC, the entire world sports movement will very quickly do the work of returning us to the big Paralympic family.”

Recall that Russia does not participate in the Paralympic Games - 2016 due to the temporary suspension of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) based on the report of an independent WADA commission on state support for doping in the country.

You can get acquainted with other news, materials and statistics at Rio 2016, as well as in the groups of the sports department on social networks

The closing ceremony of the XXXI Summer Olympic Games took place at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. More than three thousand volunteers marched through the arena, after which a parade of athletes took place. Flag Russian Federation carried by five-time Olympic champions in synchronized swimming Natalya Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina.

As a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), two-time Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva also took part in the ceremony.

Before the head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, announced the closure of the Games, he handed over the flag of the Olympics to representatives from Tokyo. It is in this city that the next Summer Olympic Games will be held in 2020.

Even though in history Russian sports Now is not the easiest period, the Russian team showed an excellent result at the Games, taking fourth place: our athletes have 56 medals - 19 gold, 18 silver, 19 bronze.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin in his video message to the participants of the PLOTFORM S-70 international combat sambo tournament in Sochi, he noted that the Russian Olympians at the Games in Rio de Janeiro demonstrated real skill, courage, endurance and the will to win.

“I am sure that all wrestlers will show real skill, endurance, courage and will, perseverance in achieving their goals. These qualities were fully demonstrated by the Russian Olympians in Rio de Janeiro. And I am glad to note that the representatives of various kinds martial arts."

Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev highly appreciated the performance of the Russian team in Rio: “Our Olympians are great! The Olympics in Rio de Janeiro were not the easiest in the history of Russian sports. But, despite the fact that many of our athletes did not take part in the competition, the athletes showed excellent results. Congratulate everyone! See you in Moscow!”

Editorial mger2020. en recalls the brightest performances of Russian athletes at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

On the first day of competition, the judoka Beslan Mudranov brought Russia the first "gold".

On the same day, the Russian team in shooting and archery in the face Inna Stepanova, Ksenia Perova and Tuyana Dashidorzhieva won the "silver" of the Games during the team championship.

Vitalina Batsarashkina also won a silver medal in 10m air pistol shooting.

The next competitive day, August 7, began for Russia with the "bronze". The third place in the fight in judo was taken by Natalia Kuzyutina.

Timur Safin in foil fencing in the match for third place, he defeated Briton Richard Kruse with a score of 15:13. “Bronze, it is also bronze in Africa, better than “wooden,” commented the rapier himself.

On August 8, “gold” and “silver” in saber fencing were brought by Russians Yana Egoryan and Sophia the Great. For the first time in 20 years, the Russians met face to face in the final. As a result, Yana - "gold", Sophia - "silver".

Gymnasts of the Russian national team won the "silver" of the 2016 Olympic Games in the all-around. Denis Ablyazin, David Belyavsky, Nikita Nagorny, Nikolai Kuksenkov and Ivan Stretovich in total, after six shells scored 271.453 points. In vault Denis Ablyazin He also won a silver medal and a bronze medal in ring exercises. David Belyavsky took third place in exercises on parallel bars.

On the same day, August 8, a Russian swimmer took a swim Yulia Efimova. Despite the fact that the athlete was allowed to compete only on the last day, and during her performance the audience “booed” the girl, Yulia overcame a distance of 100 meters and came second. The swimmer won silver in the 200m breaststroke on 11 August.

shooter Vladimir Maslennikov in shooting from an air rifle from 10 meters, he took third place. The 21-year-old athlete showed a result of 184.2 points. On August 12, in shooting from a small-caliber rifle, he won the “bronze” and Kirill Grigoryan. In shooting from a rifle from three positions, the silver medal was won by Sergey Kamensky.

August 9 also began with “gold” for the Russians. Judoka Khasan Khalmurzaev in the weight category up to 81 kg took first place. In the final, he defeated the American Travis Stevens. “I couldn't lose to an American,” Khalmurzaev said at the end of his speech.

Aliya Mustafina, Daria Spiridonova, Maria Paseka, Seda Tutkhalyan and Angelina Melnikova won a silver medal in the team all-around gymnastics competition. Aliya Mustafina brought "bronze" in competitions in individual all-around on August 11, and on August 14 she won "gold" in exercises on uneven bars. Won second place in the vault Mary Pasek.

Inna Deriglazova won first place in rapier fencing. In sword fencing our girls Violetta Kolobova, Tatyana Logunova, Lyubov Shutova and Olga Kochneva won the bronze.

In the race with a separate start, overcoming a distance of 29.9 km in 44 minutes 31.97 seconds, a Russian woman Olga Zabelinskaya won a silver medal. In the cycling track, silver medals were also won by Daria Shmeleva and Anastasia Voynova. Denis Dmitriev in cycling on the track in the sprint won a bronze medal.

19 year old Anton Chupikov won a bronze medal in the 200m at his first Games. In swimming, we got another "bronze" thanks to Evgeny Rylov. He covered 200 meters on his back in 1 minute 53.97 seconds.

12th of August Alexey Cheremesinov, Artur Akhmatkhuzin and Timur Safin brought "gold" by defeating the US and France teams.

The next day, August 13, the women's fencing team repeated the success of the guys and took first place. saber fencers Ekaterina Dyachenko, Yana Egoryan and Sophia the Great defeated the teams of Ukraine and the USA.

V doubles tennis players Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina won gold.

Bronze in windsurfing won Stefania Elfutina. Third place in the kayak competition was also won by Roman Anoshkin. Ilya Shtokalov- canonist-single, received a bronze medal.

August 14 Roman Vlasov won the gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. Fighter David Chakvetadze also took first place. In the final, the Russian defeated an opponent from Ukraine with a score of 9:2. A Sergey Semenov in the weight category up to 130 kg won "bronze".

Boxer Evgeny Tishchenko won "gold" in the weight category up to 91 kg. Vladimir Nikitin and Vitaly Dunaytsev took third place. On the final day of the Olympics Misha Aloyan also won a silver. "Bronze" in boxing among women went to Anastasia Belyakova.

No one doubted the victory of our synchronized swimmers. Analysts predicted victory for them long before they entered the pool. Indeed, for the fifth time Olympic champions in synchronized swimming were Svetlana Romashina and Natalia Ischenko. The national team in synchronized swimming also won the "gold" of the Olympics, leaving no chance for rivals. The sum of the two programs Vlad Chigireva, Natalia Ischenko, Svetlana Kolesnichenko, Alexandra Patskevich, Elena Prokofieva, Svetlana Romashina, Maria Shurochkina and Helena Topilina showed a result of 196.1439 points.

On August 17, she won a silver medal in freestyle wrestling Valeria Koblova. "Silver" also brought to the national team's treasury Natalya Vorobieva in the weight category up to 69 kg. "Bronze" won Ekaterina Bukina in the weight category up to 75 kg.

In taekwondo, Russia also did not remain without medals. Alexey Denisenko from Rostov-on-Don brought a silver medal to the treasury of Russian medals.

The women's water polo team won bronze medals. Having not suffered a single defeat, the Russian handball team brought "gold".

Won gold medal in modern pentathlon Alexander Lesun, scoring 1479 points.

Russian freestyle wrestler Aniuar Geduev brought "silver" to Russia. In the decisive fight, Geduev performed with a cut on his head, he was provided with medical assistance several times. “Such a “silver” is envied by many owners of “gold,” later they wrote in the media.

Rhythmic gymnastics was represented by Russia in the best possible way. The famous school of Irina Viner again showed the whole world a master class. So, Margarita Mamun won first place in the Olympics, and Yana Kudryavtseva- the second. "Gold" was also won by the entire rhythmic gymnastics team.

August 20 Russian freestyle wrestler Abdulrashid Sadulaev won a gold medal in the weight category up to 86 kg.

Wrestling gold medal Soslan Ramonov. In the final, he met with the champion of the Olympic Games in London and left him no chance, defeating him with a score of 11:0. Thus, Soslan Ramonov became the last athlete at this Olympics, who brought the "gold" to Russia.

CHISINAU, September 8 - Sputnik. The XV Summer Paralympic Games have opened in Rio de Janeiro, for the first time they are held without athletes from Russia, who have participated in all the Paralympics since 1992.

During the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in Rio, which took place at the Maracana stadium, Belarusian athletes walked with the Russian flag at the parade of participating teams in solidarity with the suspended Russian Paralympians.

According to Rima Batalova, vice-president of the Russian Paralympic Committee, the removal of the Russian flag was expected, but no one knew in advance that the Belarusian athletes would gather courage and march with the flag at the very opening of the Paralympic Games.

“This athlete should be awarded for supporting our team,” said Rima Batalova. “For the fact that he did not flinch. You see, a feat was really accomplished. I am very grateful to him for what he did, and I am grateful to the Belarusian team, because I think that some kind of common decision was made.

Rima Batalova also quoted the President of the Paralympic Committee of Belarus, Oleg Shepel, who said that the Russian flag would definitely be in Rio.

“The exit with the flag looked powerful, good and beautiful,” Batalova shared her impressions. “I was waiting for this moment. I seemed to be at the start. I couldn’t sleep. I thought:“ Lord! Will they do it or not?" And the Belarusians did it. Well done!"

The name of the Belarusian hero in Rio is Andrei Fomochkin, Sputnik Belarus reports.

The 53-year-old sports functionary, whose name was recognized by the entire world community, worked as a trainer-teacher at the Minsk Region Sports School, held a number of senior positions in government and commercial organizations, since 2007 in the directorate of national teams, from 2008 to 2010 was an assistant to the Minister of Sports and Tourism , from 2010 to 2012 - Chairman of the Directorate of National Winter Sports Teams of the Ministry of Sports and Tourism.

Andrei Fomochkin is a master of sports of international class, winner and prize-winner of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR (1986), record holder of the USSR in the winter all-around.

Meanwhile, the world media negatively assessed the action of solidarity between Belarusians and Russians.

The American publication International Business Times writes that the Paralympic Games in Rio opened with a spectacular ceremony, which was beautiful, except for one drawback - violation of the IPC ban by the Belarusian team.

The British The Telegraph came out with the headline "The opening ceremony of the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio gave a spectacular and at the same time piquant start to the Games, despite the pro-Russian protest of Belarus."

The solemn opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in Rio, according to the author of an article in the Guardian, was "spoiled" by the protest of the Belarusian team against the suspension of Russian athletes.

It is noteworthy that the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, will not attend any of the Paralympic events. The official reason is the busy schedule of the functionary.

Earlier it was reported that Bach will not be at the opening of the Paralympic Games, as he must attend the funeral ceremony dedicated to the former President of Germany Walter Scheel, who died on August 24 at the age of 97.

Foreign media have already noted that the absence of Bach, who became the first head of the IOC who has not attended the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games since 1984, is due to tense relations between the IOC and the IPC due to different positions on the participation of Russian athletes in the 2016 Games.

The IOC did not remove the entire Russian team from the 2016 Olympics, allowing athletes who were not involved in doping.

At the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, 528 sets of medals in 22 sports will be played, for the first time triathlon and paracanoeing have been included in the program.

More than 4300 athletes from more than 160 countries will take part in the competition, including the refugee team under the IPC flag - it includes two athletes. The Games will end on September 18.