PAVEL ROZHKOV IN PERESVET TOOK PART IN THE OPENING AND AWARDING CEREMONIES, AS WELL AS THE WATCHING OF THE RUSSIAN CUP AND THE ALL-RUSSIAN CHILDREN AND YOUTH COMPETITIONS IN CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING AND BIATHLON OF SPORTS FOR PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENTS
In Peresvet, Moscow Region, starts the Russian Cup and the All-Russian Children and Youth Cross-Country Skiing and Biathlon for Persons with Physical Impairments.
About 60 athletes compete for medals at the ski club of the Olympic champion Alexander Legkov from 25 to 29 January.
Among the participants, there are representatives of 10 subjects of the Russian Federation and Belarusian athletes.
The strongest skiers and biathletes - 2-time Paralympic champion and absolute world champion 2022 Vladislav Lekomtsev, 3-time Paralympic champion Ekaterina Rumyantseva and 2-time Paralympic champion Rushan Minnegulov are on the start, Alexander Pronkov, 2-time Paralympic champion, Alexander Davidovich, 2-time world champion, Irina Gulyaeva, 2-time Paralympic bronze medallist, Natalia Kocherova, world champion, and Ivan Kodlozerov and Yulia Mikheeva, winners and runners-up of the World Cup stages. Representatives of the Republic of Belarus will fight for medals with Dmitry and Lidia Loban, three-time champion of the Winter Paralympic Games in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, multiple medallist of the World Cup 2022 Valentina Schitz.
About 25 athletes of 2 age categories - born in 2004-2007 and 2008-2012 - compete for the medals of the youth competition.
During the four competition days, the winners in the middle and short distance ski racing and also in the individual biathlon and biathlon sprint races will be determined.
On the first day of competition, the winners of the middle distance ski race were determined.
The races were followed by the opening and awarding ceremony for the winners and runners-up of the first competition day of the Cup of Russia and the All-Russian Children and Youth Championships.
The event was attended by Pavel Rozhkov, President of the Russian Paralympic Committee; Andrey Strokin, Secretary General of the Russian Paralympic Committee, President of the All-Russian Federation of Sports for Physically Disabled and 5-time champion of the Paralympic Games; Irina Gromova, Head Coach of the Russian National Ski Racing and Biathlon Team and Andrey Gladyshev, Head Coach of the Russian National Biathlon Team for Physically Disabled.
After the opening and awarding ceremonies, Pavel Rozhkov and Andrey Strokin met with the competitors. The meeting focused on the development of the Paralympic Movement in the Russian Federation and its constituent entities, organisation of training events and competitions as part of the implementation of the PAC, and the holding of children's and youth competitions.