Paralympic Lessons and Training Sessions with Champions Held at the All-Russian Summer Youth Spartakiade for Athletes with Visual Impairments

From April 19 to 25, 2026, the All-Russian Summer Youth Spartakiade for athletes with visual impairments is taking place in Saransk (Republic of Mordovia). The event is organized by the All-Russian Federation of Sports for the Blind with the support of the Russian Paralympic Committee and the Russian Sports Fund.

On April 21, as part of the Spartakiade, Paralympic lessons and training sessions with champions were held in four disciplines: athletics, judo, goalball, and table tennis (showdown).

The athletics session was led by a legendary athlete — Olga Vladimirovna Semenova, Vice-President of the Russian Paralympic Committee, President of the All-Russian Federation of Sports for the Blind, and three-time Paralympic champion.

Working with the young judokas were accomplished athletes: Tatyana Savostyanova, silver medalist and two-time bronze medalist of the Paralympic Games in judo for athletes with visual impairments, and Islam Ibragimov, Honored Coach of Russia. The training process was conducted under the guidance of Olga Dmitrieva, Honored Coach of Russia and senior coach of the national team.

A goalball masterclass was led by Ilkam Nabiev, Honored Coach of Russia, International-Class Master of Sports, and senior coach of the Russian goalball national team; Irina Arestova, Honored Master of Sports of Russia, captain of the Russian women's goalball national team, and world champion; and Mikhail Egorov, International-Class Master of Sports, European Championship medalist, and member of the Russian men's goalball national team.

The table tennis (showdown) training session was conducted by Anastasia Bogoslavets, coach of the Russian national showdown team, all-Russian category referee for sports for the blind, and head referee for table tennis at the Spartakiade.

After the sessions, all participants received commemorative gifts from the Russian Paralympic Committee in honor of the organization's 30th anniversary.

Additionally, following the goalball masterclass, the young athletes were presented with commemorative books, which sparked particular interest among the children. They immediately began flipping through the books, reading them, and enthusiastically asked Olga Semenova, Ilkam Nabiev, and Irina Arestova for autographs.

The Paralympic lessons took place in a warm and inspiring atmosphere. The young athletes had a unique opportunity to interact and train alongside prominent figures of the Paralympic movement.

Based on materials from the All-Russian Federation of Sports for the Blind.