The Russian Report - ROC Celebrates Olympic Day

The XXIV All-Russian Olympic Day was celebrated all over Russia on June 29. It gathered hundreds of thousands of Russian people from the East of our country in Sakhalin to the West in Kaliningrad.

Runners take your mark! (ROC)

The opening of the Olympic Day took place in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk with numerous mass sporting and entertaining events. They demonstrated the achievements and prospects of sport on Sakhalin on the threshold of the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi. Mr. Oleg Saitov, Minister of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy of Sakhalin region, two-time Olympic champion in boxing addressed his welcome speech to participants and guests of the event. "We have two candidates for the up-coming Olympics: Vlada Bureeva of alpine skiing and Chemodurov Yuri of snowboarding. I hope that among the participants of today’s event there are future Olympic athletes too."

Dozens of Olympic champions, hundreds of participants of the Olympic Games and thousands of people all over our country participated in festive competitions, tournaments and concerts while the All-Russian Olympic Day moved throughout our country from the East to the West.

In Altai region European champion and world vice-champion in gymnastics Sergei Khorokhordin, European and world champion, bronze medalist of the Olympic Games in judo Ivan Nifontov, Paralympic champion in athletics Artem Loginov and silver medalist of the Paralympic Games in athletics EgorSharov welcomed the participants of the All-Russian Olympic day.

The Olympic Day in Belgorod was held in the sport complex named after two-time Olympic champion Svetlana Khorkina. Though it was raining, the celebration was successfully held. At 15 sport venues in the city, the citizens could try themselves in arm-wrestling, kettlebell lifting, chess, mini football, streetball and tennis.

The ceremonial cancellation of 3 new "Sochi 2014" Olympic stamps took place in the future Winter Olympic capital during the celebration of the All-Russian Olympic Day. Bronze medalist of the Olympic Games, world champion and two-time European champion in figure skating, the Ambassador of "Sochi 2014" Oksana Domnina, the Olympic champion in cross country skiing Mikhail Ivanov and the Olympic champion in bobsleigh Vladimir Kozlov participated in the event.

President Alexander Zhukov fires the starting gun for an Olympic Day fun run. (ROC)

The Olympic Day 2013 in Moscow was held in Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure. Even though the weather was extremely hot thousands of people visited Gorky Park to support the Russian Olympic team.

The President of the Russian Olympic Committee Mr. Alexander Zhukov opened the celebrations in Gorky Park:"The Olympic Day of this year is very special for it is dedicated to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. I am so glad that so many Olympic champions and athletes have gathered here today with us to celebrate the XXIV Russian Olympic Day and to support the Olympic team of Russia on the threshold of the Games in Sochi. It is our common goal to involve the citizens of our country into the sports and to promote healthy lifestyle and mass sport. I invite you all to bring your children to sport schools, to make them familiar with sports and to support our Olympic athletes. They devote their lives to sport; do their best to win for us. Enjoy the celebrations!"

More than 60 legendary Olympic champions and titled athletes took part in the Olympic celebrations in Gorky Park. Among them were Galina Gorokhova, Aleksei Nemov, Olga Brusnikina, Svetlana Masterkova, Anastasia Davydova, Marat Safin, Natalia Ishchenko and many others. On the central stage of the event the audience welcomed the athletes and had an opportunity to take a photo with champions and to get their autographs afterwards.

The President of the Russian Athletes Union Mrs. Galina Gorokhova addressed the participants: "On behalf of all athletes I would like to express sincere gratitude to the Russian Olympic Committee and personally Mr. Alexander Zhukov for the excellent organization of these glorious celebrations. Many Olympic champions and famous athletes joined us today. I was lucky to see such a huge number of Olympic celebrities only at the Olympic Games. Today we would like to support our Olympic team and to wish our athletes the best of luck in Sochi. Please accept my warmest greeting, friends!"

Three-time Olympic champion Maria Kiseleva and famous Russian sport commentator Dmitry Guberniev were the hosts of the XXIV All-Russian Olympic Day in Moscow.

Olympic Day builds excitement for Sochi 2014 with Russia's first Winter Games just around the corner. (ROC)

At more than 20 sport venues of the XXIV All-Russian Olympic Day, guests had an opportunity to play beach volleyball and football, streetball, petanque, field hockey, to try themselves in combat sports, arm-wrestling, on the rock-climbing wall and to learn parkour, sport graphite and extreme sports.

During the celebrations, special attention was paid to the Paralympic Movement. The members of the Russian Paralympic team represented the venues for Paralympic sports and told the guests about the up-coming XXI Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi. In Gorky Park sport fans admired and welcomed Mikhail Terentiev, Sergei Poddybny and 13-time Paralympic champion Rimma Batalova.

Presented by the Russian Olympic Committee

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