The National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus honored the champions and medalists of the 1980 Moscow Olympics at its headquarters on 17 July. The event marked 40 years since the games took place.
In his opening speech, NOC Belarus First Vice President Viktor Lukashenko stated that it is a great honor for him to stand next to such legends.
"You are legends not only of the Soviet and national sports, but also of the international sports. Winning 33 awards at the Games in Moscow, you made a huge contribution to the USSR medal collection, becoming idols for us, our youth and children," he said.
According to the NOC First Vice President, in order to take part in the Olympic Games one must invest huge efforts, have will and faith in themselves, but in order to become a medalist or a champion of the Games one must also have a winning spirit.
"Thanks to this winning spirit, you are still in action, passing on your experience - the invaluable thing you have - to our young generation. You teach them to be like you, and, maybe, to surpass you and win their medals at the Olympics," added Viktor Lukashenko.
About 15 athletes came to the NOC Belarus headquarters to accept congratulations: three-time Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling Alexander Medved, who in 1980 read the oath from the judges at the opening ceremony at Luzhniki and lit the Olympic torch at the Dynamo stadium in Minsk; three-time Olympic champion in kayak Vladimir Parfenovich; Olympic champions Leonid Taranenko (weightlifting), Nikolai Alekhin (fencing), Tatsiana Beloshapko (basketball), Oleg Logvin (cycling), Elena Khloptseva (academic rowing); prize-winners of the Games in Moscow - Alexander Gazov (bullet shooting), Igor Kanygin (Greco-Roman wrestling), Alexander Karshakevich (handball), Andrey Lugin, Ihar Maystrenko (rowing), Antonina Melnikova (rowing), Alexander Romankov (fencing), Vasily Yakusha (rowing).
The Moscow Olympics were held on 19 July-3 August 1980. These were the first Games held in Eastern Europe. Representatives of Belarus won 33 (14 gold, 9 silver, and 10 bronze) medals at the Games 1980.
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