The First All-Russian Athletics Competitions for Athletes with Physical Impairments Among Veterans of the Special Military Operation Have Opened in Cheboksary

On July 20, a ceremonial opening ceremony for the first All-Russian athletics competitions for athletes with physical impairments among veterans of the special military operation was held at the Olympic Stadium in Cheboksary.

The competitions are organized by the Russian Paralympic Committee with the support of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation, the Russian Sports Fund, and the Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports of the Chuvash Republic.

The participants were greeted by the Minister of Sports and President of the Russian Olympic Committee, Mikhail Degtyarev; the Head of the Chuvash Republic, Oleg Nikolaev; and the President of the Russian Paralympic Committee and Honored Coach of Russia, Pavel Rozhkov.

Addressing the participants, Mikhail Degtyarev stated:

"President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin emphasizes that all SMO veterans must have the opportunity to undergo sports rehabilitation and find their place in sports in civilian life."

The Head of the Chuvash Republic, Oleg Nikolaev, emphasized:

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to showcase our organizational capabilities and our capital — a City of Labor Valor, a title conferred by the President of Russia in 2021. Our ancestors forged Victory both at the front and on the home front, and today we continue these traditions. I am confident that the overall victory will be ours. And to those stepping up to the starting line, I want to say: you have already proven your courage and fortitude while carrying out combat missions. These qualities are just as important in sports. I wish you success, new achievements, and worthy victories."

The President of the Russian Paralympic Committee, Pavel Rozhkov, noted in his address:

"The participation of special military operation veterans in competitions has become an integral part of the Russian Paralympic movement. This year's Russian Athletics Championship has shown that their skills are growing. Today, about 10 SMO veterans are members of the national athletics team, and there are winners and medalists of major All-Russian competitions. I am confident that our joint efforts with the Russian Ministry of Sports to involve SMO veterans in the Paralympic movement, carried out with the support of the Russian Sports Fund, will further strengthen our national Paralympic movement and make it more widespread, popular, and powerful."

At the conclusion of his speech, Pavel Rozhkov declared the first All-Russian athletics competitions for athletes with physical impairments among veterans of the special military operation open.

Greetings to the competition participants were also sent by State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation and Chairperson of the State Fund for Support of Participants of the Special Military Operation "Defenders of the Fatherland," Anna Tsivileva; Hero of Russia, three-time Olympic champion, and Senator of the Russian Federation, Alexander Karelin; and Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports, Oleg Matytsin.

More than 130 athletes from 28 regions of the Russian Federation are taking part in the competitions, along with the team of the Central Sports Club of the Army. Among the participants are winners of the 2026 Russian Championship, special military operation veterans Sergei Anisimov, Vladislav Losev, and Vadim Shamsitdinov, as well as members of the Russian national athletics team for athletes with physical impairments.

They will compete for medals in running and technical events.

Based on the results of the competitions, 20 athletes who demonstrate high sporting achievements will be invited to a training camp at the federal sports base of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation, "Yug Sport," in Sochi, with the participation of coaches and athletes from the Russian national team.

The ceremonial opening was attended by First Deputy Secretary of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, Vice-President of the RPC, Chairman of the Council of the All-Russian Federation of Sports for Persons with Physical Impairments, and Hero of Russia, Vyacheslav Bocharov; member of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports and 13-time Paralympic champion, Rima Batalova; member of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy and Olympic champion, Evgenia Lamonova; Vice-President of the RPC, President of the All-Russian Federation of Sports for the Blind, and three-time Paralympic champion, Olga Semenova; Director General of the National Center for Sports Medicine of the FMBA of Russia, Evgeny Koshevoy; Minister of Physical Culture and Sports of the Chuvash Republic, Vasily Petrov; as well as representatives of federal and regional authorities, sports organizations, and the veteran community.