Russia (bbabo.net) - Honoring athletes began with the raising of the Russian flag, a short entrusted to the three-time Olympic champion skier Alexander Bolshunov and figure skater Anna Shcherbakova, who won the Games in women's single skating.
The protagonist of the completed Olympic Games, Alexander Bolshunov, thanked the fans who gathered in the arena for their support.
"Thanks to the people who helped us, led us. Thanks to the great friendly Olympic team, which made a great contribution to these medals. I also want to say thanks to all the fans who supported the Russian team, I did not expect that there would be so many of them," he said .
At the Beijing Olympics, the Russian team won 32 medals - this is the best achievement in the history of the Winter Games. Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Igor Levitin believes that in four years this record will be broken.
"Winter sports are developing in Russia. Let's thank those who trained these athletes. I hope that in 2026 we will surpass the record," Levitin said.
Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko addressed the athletes with words of gratitude.
"We are grateful for every medal, for every place. Everyone gave it their all, and the country is grateful to you for this. We will continue to develop sports in our country, but it would not be possible without your victories, which inspire our children," he said .
The head of the Ministry of Sports, Oleg Matytsin, said that the performance in Beijing confirmed Russia's status as one of the leaders in world sports.
"32 medals is a record for our team at the Olympics, the price of each medal is certainly high - whether it be gold, silver or bronze. We are the best in silver and bronze, second in total," he said.
During the celebration, an awards ceremony was held for Russian figure skaters who won the team event, but so far, for well-known reasons, have not received the well-deserved Olympic gold.
The Champions of Our Hearts awards were presented to them by Olympic champion Tatyana Navka, four-time Olympic champion Alexei Nemov, State Duma deputy, Olympic champion Svetlana Zhurova and actress Yulia Peresild.
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