The most successful Winter Olympics of the USSR. Olympic Games with the participation of USSR athletes The first Olympic medal of the USSR

The XXII Summer Olympic Games took place in 1980 in Moscow. The decision to select the capital of the 1980 Olympic Games was made by the International Olympic Committee at its 75th session on October 23, 1974, in Vienna. At the last stage of voting, IOC members had to choose between the cities of Los Angeles and Moscow; in the end, Moscow won with a vote ratio of 39 to 20.

For the first time, the Olympic Games were to be held in a socialist country. In March 1975, the Organizing Committee of the Olympics-80 was created, to which the USSR Olympic Committee transferred the rights and functions for preparing and holding the Olympic Games. The 79th session of the IOC (June 1977, Prague) approved the program and schedule of competitions for the Games of the XXII Olympiad in Moscow.
In 1975-80, in preparation for the Olympic Games in accordance with the master plan for the development of Moscow (as well as Tallinn, Leningrad and Minsk), about 20 sports and other facilities were built and reconstructed to host the Olympics. Among them are the Olympic Sports Complex, Luzhniki Stadium, Sheremetyevo-2 Airport, and the Kirov Stadium in Leningrad. To promote the Olympic Games and the Olympic movement as a whole in the USSR and to obtain additional funds for organizing competitions, the organizing committee developed a program for holding Olympic lotteries, publishing sports literature, a series of sports stamps, badges, posters and souvenirs.
Opening
At the request of the Organizing Committee of the Games of the XXII Olympiad, the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Hydrometeorological Information studied the results of observations of Moscow weather for almost 100 years. And it was concluded that the warmest and clearest summer weather in Moscow occurs in the second half of July - early August, and it was during these periods that it was decided to hold the Olympic competitions. The opening of the Games of the XXII Olympiad took place on July 19, 1980. The Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Stadium was chosen as the venue for the opening ceremony. The first to appear at the Olympic Stadium was three-time Olympic champion Viktor Saneev, who brought a torch with the Olympic flame into the stadium. Having made a circle along the stadium track, he passed the torch to the Soviet basketball player, Olympic champion Sergei Belov. An improvised path of snow-white shields appeared above the rows of the Eastern Stand. Belov ran along it, raising a flaming torch high above his head. On behalf of all participants, the hero of the Games in Montreal, gymnast Nikolai Andrianov, took the Olympic oath. An image of Soviet cosmonauts Leonid Popov and Valery Ryumin appeared on the stadium information board. From space they greeted the Olympians and wished them a happy start. A little later, Leonid Brezhnev declared the XXII Summer Olympic Games open. One by one, the national Olympic teams marched along the stadium's running track in the traditional welcome march. More than 16 thousand athletes, amateur and professional artists took part in the dance and sports scenes of the opening ceremony, which lasted about 3 hours.
Closing
The closing ceremony of the Games of the XXII Olympiad took place on August 3 at the Luzhniki Olympic Stadium. The white Olympic flag was slowly lowered to the sounds of the Olympic anthem. Girls in tunics approached the bowl with the Olympic flame and formed a composition reminiscent of an ancient Greek fresco. The Olympic flame in the bowl was slowly dying out.
On the screen of an artistic background made of colored shields, the image of Misha, the symbol of the 1980 Olympics, appeared. The inscription “Bon Voyage!” appeared, and a tear rolled down from the bear’s eye. An orchestra entered the stadium arena and performed a series of formations to the sounds of a march. Then the athletes entered the stadium field and performed exercises synchronously, each from their own sport.
At the very end of the closing ceremony, guests and television viewers were treated to a surprise that everyone still remembers. A huge “Misha” floated out into the middle of the stadium, grabbing hold of multi-colored balloons. He waved his paw goodbye and began to slowly rise above the stadium until he disappeared into the sky. Simultaneously with the rise of the bear into the sky, the song of the composer Alexandra Pakhmutova and the poet Nikolai Dobronravov “Goodbye, Moscow!” was played.
During the performance of the song, many spectators cried.
During the 1980 Summer Olympics, Soviet athletes won 80 gold, 69 silver and 46 bronze medals, for a total of 195. Their closest rivals, the GDR team, won 126 medals (47 gold, 37 silver and 42 bronze)

Symbol of the 1980 Summer Olympics - Olympic Bear

Porcelain figurine of an Olympic bear

The Cosmos hotel complex was built to serve the XXII Olympic Games, held in Moscow in 1980.

Olympic postcards

Single ticket for the period of the Olympic Games

Olympic cards

Pins with Olympic symbols

Next is a small photo selection “Olympics 80”

The USSR began participating in the Winter Olympics only in 1956 at the Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo. The main triumphs of the team occurred in the period 1956-1980...

At the last three Games - in Turin, Salt Lake City and Vancouver - the Russians did not even make it into the top three (sixth, fifth and sixth place again). We invite you to familiarize yourself with the most successful Winter Olympics in the history of the USSR.
Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 (Italy)


When it took place: January 26 – February 5, 1956
Sets up for grabs: 24
Won: 16 medals - seven gold, three silver and six bronze


The first Olympics to which the USSR national team came, a total of 32 countries, represented by 821 athletes, took part in it. The Soviet team took first place in the team competition - both in the total number of medals and in gold awards.


The first gold medal in the women's ten-kilometer race was won by skier Lyubov Kozyreva. The men's ski team won the 4x10 kilometer relay.

The main heroes of the Games were the speed skaters, who were ahead of the recognized favorites - the Norwegians. Evgeny Grishin became a two-time Olympic champion at distances of 500 and 1500 m, Yuri Mikhailov (1500 m) and Boris Shilakov (5000 m) took gold.


The USSR national hockey team won all matches, including over the teams of Canada (2:0) and the USA (4:0). Vsevolod Bobrov was recognized as the best player of the hockey tournament.
Squaw Valley 1960 (USA)

When it took place: February 18 – 28, 1960
Sets played: 27
Won: 21 medals - seven gold, five silver and nine bronze


In 1960, the USSR first issued a series of postage stamps dedicated to the Winter Olympics, the opening ceremony of which was prepared by Walt Disney. Due to the lack of a track, bobsleigh competitions were not held at the Games, but biathlon was included in the program for the first time.


Soviet athletes doubled the hosts in the number of medals won (the USA had 10 medals - 3–4–3), setting a new record. Almost all the medals were won by Soviet speed skaters - six gold, three silver and three bronze.
Evgeny Grishin (500 and 1500 m) and Lidia Skoblikova (world record at a distance of 1500 m and an Olympic record at a distance of 3000 m) each had two gold medals. Viktor Kosichkin (5000 m) and Klara Guseva (1000 m) also distinguished themselves.


The only non-skating gold for the Soviet team was brought by skier Maria Gusakova, who won the 10 km race. The USSR national hockey team, already without Vsevolod Bobrov, but with Viktor Yakushev, took bronze.
Innsbruck 1964


When it took place: January 29 – February 9, 1964
Sets played: 34
Won: 25 medals - 11 gold, eight silver and six bronze


The competition in Innsbruck was on the verge of collapse due to an atypical thaw for the region. The organizers had to get snow for ski slopes in mountain hollows in order to save the Olympics. For the first time, China, India and Mongolia took part in the Winter Games; in total, athletes from 36 countries were present.


Nine of the 12 medals among women were won by USSR athletes. Soviet speed skaters were again triumphant. Lidiya Skoblikova, who set three Olympic records, took home four gold medals. Ants Antson won the men's 1500 m race. Soviet skiers took three gold medals, two of them to Klavdiya Boyarskikh. The biathletes' first gold was won by Vladimir Melanin, who won the 20 km race.

In the pairs competition in figure skating, gold medals went to the USSR for the first time thanks to Lyudmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov. The hockey team with the Mayorov brothers and Vyacheslav Starshinov won all the matches of the tournament.
Sapporo 1972 (Japan)


When it took place: February 3 – 13, 1972
Sets played: 35
Won: 16 medals - eight gold, five silver and three bronze


At the games in Grenoble in 1968, the Soviet team lost first place to the Norwegians, so it was decided to approach the Games in Sapporo (the first time they were held in Asia) in the USSR with all responsibility. As a result, Soviet athletes surpassed their opponents in the number of gold medals won - eight against four for the teams of the GDR (4-3-7), Switzerland (4-3-3) and the Netherlands (4-3-2).


The main hero of Sapporo 1972 was the Soviet skier Galina Kulakova (three gold medals). Skier Vyacheslav Vedenin added bright gold in the relay to gold and bronze. At the last stage of the 10 km distance, he gained a minute and was nine seconds ahead of his opponent from Norway. The men's biathlon relay team also won gold.


The duet of Irina Rodnina and Alexey Ulanov rose to first place in the competition between figure skaters.


The main medal of the Games was won by the hockey team with Vladislav Tretyak, Igor Ramishevsky, Valery Kharlamov, Alexander Maltsev, Anatoly Firsov, Alexander Yakushev, Vladimir Petrov and Boris Mikhailov.
Innsbruck 1976 (Austria)


When it took place: February 4 – 14, 1976
Sets played: 34
Won: 27 medals - 13 gold, six silver and eight bronze
The USSR national team scored a record amount of points in the history of the Winter Olympics - 192. The athletes from the GDR, who were in second place, took 135 points and 19 medals (7-5-7). Team USA finished third: 73 points, ten medals (3-3-4).

USSR national team at the opening ceremony of the XII Winter Olympic Games
In Innsbruck 1976, ice dancing appeared for the first time in the program of figure skating competitions. Soviet figure skaters Lyudmila Pakhomova and Alexander Gorshkov won the gold medal in this event. Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev won again in pairs skating.


The USSR national hockey team, which included Tretyak, Kharlamov, Petrov, Mikhailov and Yakushev, once again turned out to be the strongest at the Olympics.


Four gold medals were won by skiers: Nikolay Bazhukov (15 kilometers), Sergey Savelyev (30 kilometers), Raisa Smetanina (10 kilometers) and the relay team (Nina Baldycheva, Zinaida Amosova, Raisa Smetanina, Galina Kulakova).


In speed skating, four of the nine gold medals were won by Soviet athletes. Biathlete Nikolai Kruglov won the 20-kilometer individual race, adding his personal gold to the team gold in the relay.
Lake Placid 1980 (USA)

When it took place: February 13 – 24, 1980
Sets played: 38
Won: 22 medals - 10 gold, six silver and six bronze


Lake Placid hosted the Winter Olympics for the second time since 1932. The organization failed: many sports facilities were not completed, the athletes had to live in the prison building, and for the first time in history, artificial snow was used because the organizers were unable to stock up on real snow.

The USSR team won the unofficial medal count, but lost to the GDR, which won one more award - 23 medals (9-7-7).
Skiers took four gold medals at once, and three of them were young Nikolai Zamyatov, who became the main sensation of the Olympics. The athlete unexpectedly won the 30 and 50 km races and contributed to the relay. At a distance of 5 km, Raisa Smetanina distinguished herself again. In luge, Vera Zozulya won the first gold in single competitions.


Irina Rodnina, paired with Alexander Zaitsev, took her third consecutive gold in the sports pairs competition. Among the dance duets, Natalya Linichuk and Gennady Karponosov excelled.


Biathletes won two gold medals - from Anatoly Alyabyev (20 km race) and in the relay. Alexander Tikhonov, who took part in it, took Olympic gold in the relay for the fourth time in a row.
Calgary 1988 (Canada)


When it took place: February 13 – 28, 1988
Sets played: 46
Won: 29 medals - 11 gold, nine silver and nine bronze


Canadian Calgary received the Olympics on the seventh attempt. Here the USSR team won the unofficial team competition, slightly ahead of its rivals from the GDR (25 medals: 9–10–6).
In Calgary, Soviet skiers especially distinguished themselves - they won 15 medals, five of them gold. Among the women, in addition to the relay team, which was 1.5 minutes ahead of the Norwegians, Vida Vincenė (10 km) and Tamara Tikhonova (20 km) took gold.


For men, Alexey Prokurorov (30 km) and Mikhail Devetyarov (15 km) took the lead. In biathlon, Soviet athletes won four medals out of a possible nine. In the bobsled competitions, Janis Kipurs and Vladimir Kozlov created a sensation, who managed to surpass the masters from the GDR in the two-man race.


In figure skating, Soviet athletes again had no equal. In ice dancing, the best were Natalya Bestemyanova and Andrey Bukin. Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko were second. Among sports duets, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergey Grinkov celebrated victory, Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev took second place.


Vyacheslav Fetisov, Alexander Kozhevnikov, Alexey Kasatonov, Igor Larionov, Vladimir Krutov, Valery Kamensky, Vyacheslav Bykov and Alexander Mogilny became Olympic champions in hockey.

From the beginning to the present day about the exploits of our athletes. The article provides a brief overview of the participation of Soviet (Russian) athletes in the Summer Olympic Games.

July 19 is the day on which the USSR national team made its debut at the Olympic Games. Our athletes have not yet had experience of official international meetings, and the Olympic competitions were a kind of baptism of fire for them. 295 athletes competed in Helsinki. Soviet Olympians were awarded 71 medals, 22 of them were gold. Our athletes scored the same number of points in the unofficial competition with US athletes (494). At these games, our athletes participated in all competitions in all sports, with the exception of field hockey. The first Olympic gold medal in the history of Soviet sports was won by Nina Ponomareva, who won the discus throwing competition. The list of our Olympic champions was opened by Anatoly Bogdanov in shooting, Yuri Tyukalov in rowing, Boris Gurevich in classical wrestling, David Tsimakuridze in freestyle wrestling.

For the first and only time, the Games were held on the green continent - Australia. The team included 283 athletes. Soviet athletes won the largest number of medals, 98, including 37 gold, and scored the most points in the unofficial standings, 622.5. US athletes were second in the table of ranks: 74 medals (32 gold). The first Olympic winners among men's track and field athletes were Vladimir Kuts, and Leonid Spirin among the masters of race walking. For the first time, our football and modern pentathlon teams won gold medals. Inessa Jaunzeme became the Olympic champion in javelin throwing. In canoe rowing, Pavel Khorin and Gratsian Botev, in women's kayak rowing - Elizaveta Dementieva.

At this Olympics our team included 284 athletes. Viktor Kapitonov became the first Olympic champion among Soviet athletes in cycling, Sergei Filatov in equestrian sports, Viktor Zhdanovich in fencing, Fedor Shutkov and Timur Pinegin in sailing, Alexey Gushchin in pistol shooting. Yu. Vlasov was recognized as the hero of the games. He showed a phenomenal result for those times in classical triathlon - 537.5 kg. He was awarded the title of professor of weightlifting and the most elegant and beautifully built athlete. Soviet Olympians won the largest number of medals at these games - 103 (43 gold). In the team competition they scored 682.5 points.

For the first time, the games were held on the Asian continent. The program included volleyball and judo. Already 319 athletes were part of our team. Soviet athletes participated in all sports except football (our team was eliminated in the qualifying matches) and field hockey. Galina Prozumenshchikova became the first Olympic champion and record holder among swimmers. Gregory Chris became a champion in epee fencing. Soviet Olympians received the largest number of medals - 96 and scored 607.8 points. However, in terms of the number of gold medals won, they were behind the athletes from the United States, who had 90 medals, but 36 of them were gold.

The Olympic movement spread rapidly across all continents. This time the games took place in Latin America, at an altitude of 2240 m above sea level. Our team included 313 athletes. At the XIX Games, Novikova Elena became the first Soviet fencer to become an Olympic champion in individual foil competitions. And Evgeniy Petrov was the first of our shooters to win gold. For the first time, the USSR women's volleyball team became Olympic champions. In Mexico City, a team of rowers, cyclists, swimmers and especially track and field athletes performed unsuccessfully. We took second place in the number of medals won and points scored in the unofficial standings. 91 medals, including 29 gold and 590.8 points.

The Olympic holiday was overshadowed by tragedy - members of the Palestinian terrorist organization Black September took athletes from Israel hostage. During an attempt to free them at the airport, several athletes and coaches were killed and mourning was declared at the games.
The team included 371 athletes. Vladimir Vasin was the first to become an Olympic champion in diving, Shota Chochishvili in judo, Alexander Sharapenko in kayaking, and Viktor Sidyak in individual saber fencing competitions. For the first time, teams of basketball and water polo players won Olympic gold. Our team was ahead of everyone both in the number of medals won - 99, including 50 gold, and in the number of points scored in the unofficial standings - 664.5. Since the 1908 Olympic Games, where the sporting competition cannot be compared with the current one, not a single national team has managed to win so many gold medals.

A record number of participants attended the games - 7121. But due to the boycott of a group of African countries caused by racial apartheid in the Republic of South Africa, 28 African countries left Montreal. The USSR team already included 410 athletes. Elena Voitsekhovskaya was the first woman to become an Olympic champion in diving. The teams of our basketball and handball players opened the lists of Olympic champions. In Montreal, the championship in these disciplines was played for the first time. Our Olympians were again ahead of their rivals both in the number of 125 medals won (49 gold) and in the number of points scored in the unofficial standings (792.5). GDR athletes came in second place with 90 medals (40 gold) and 638 points.

In the Soviet capital, everything was done to ensure that the Games of the XXII Olympiad were held at the highest level, in full accordance with the Olympic Charter. But there were some incidents. The Moscow Games were marked by political boycotts from the United States, Germany, Japan and several dozen other countries protesting against the invasion of Soviet troops in Afghanistan.
But still the games were more than successful. 36 world and 39 European records were set. The team included 492 athletes. Ketevan Losaberidze became the first champion among archers. For the first time, Elena Khloptseva and Larisa Popova won gold medals in women's rowing. Going swimming - Sergey Fisenko. In the individual competition in modern pentathlon - Anatoly Starostin. In the track cycling competition, the USSR team won the 4,000 meter race. At these games we won 80 gold, 69 silver and 46 bronze.
Games of the XXIII Olympiad. 1984 Los Angeles (USA)
This Olympics, like in Moscow, was boycotted by some NOCs in central and southeastern Europe. Athletes from the USSR, East Germany and their allies did not participate in the Games, which greatly weakened the sports level of the Olympics.

Games of the XXIV Olympiad. 1988 Seoul (South Korea)

The Games were once again attended by the strongest athletes - 9141. But again the Games were boycotted by Cuba, North Korea, Ethiopia, Nicaragua and some countries. For the first time, athletes competed in tennis and table tennis. Our athletes won a convincing victory, winning 55 gold, 31 silver, 46 bronze medals. After a 32-year break, gold medals went to our players. And another incident befell the Olympic Games: a doping scandal involving Canadian runner Ben Johnson, who won the 100 m race with a fantastic record. Another 10 athletes from different countries were disqualified for using illegal medications.

Games of the XXV Olympiad. 1992 Barcelona (Spain)

After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the United Team of Independent States (UCIT) competed at the Olympics for the first and last time. The combined team consisted of athletes from the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany. OKNG was ahead of the other participants - 45 gold, 38 silver, 29 bronze medals.

Since the Games were held in the centenary year of the First Olympic Games, Athens was considered by many to be the favorite to vote for the capital city. However, the Games were unexpectedly given to Atlanta. Softball, beach volleyball, mountain biking, women's football, and lightweight crew races in rowing debuted at the games. At the third consecutive Olympic Games, Alexander Karelin won gold in Greco-Roman wrestling. The largest number of medals, six, belongs to the Russian gymnast Alexei Nemov. Our athletes won 63 medals (26 gold, 21 silver, 16 bronze). The Games were overshadowed by the death of the wife of Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch. The Olympic flag was lowered as a sign of mourning.

The games opened at the Sydney Olympic Stadium - the largest sports venue in the history of these competitions: it seats 110 thousand spectators. Triathlon, taekwondo and trampolining were introduced for the first time. For the second time, gymnast Alexey Nemov became the most titled Russian athlete - two gold, one silver and three bronze medals. The men's handball team became the champion. Russian athletes won 88 medals (32 gold, 28 silver, 28 bronze).

For the first time, athletes from 202 countries competed at the games. The Russian national team was represented by 457 athletes. Almost every second member of the Russian team won an Olympic medal. This happened in conditions of unprecedentedly intense sports competition. Also, these games were the first when more than one new sport was not introduced. Russians were not represented at the Games in baseball, beach volleyball, rowing slalom, softball, football (men and women), field hockey (men and women), basketball (men), handball (women), because they did not pass the selection system .
The Athens Olympics also did not escape the boycott - this time an individual one. Having passed all stages of selection, he refused to compete with Israeli citizen Ehud Waks as a sign of solidarity with the suffering of the Palestinian people.

The XXII Summer Olympic Games were held in Moscow from July 19 to August 3, 1980. During this time, 36 world and 74 Olympic records were set. For the first time the Olympic Games were held in a socialist country. In honor of this event, the Soviet Union opened its doors to foreign citizens, but not everyone was able to come.

On January 20, 1980, US President Jimmy Carter announced a boycott of the Moscow Olympics and called on other countries to do the same. The reason for the boycott was the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan. Another 63 states responded to the call for a boycott of the Olympic Games in Moscow, including Canada, Germany, Japan, and Austria. The situation was also aggravated by the political confrontation between the Warsaw Pact countries and NATO countries. The United States expected that the absence of athletes from leading Western countries and China among the Olympic participants would make the Moscow Games a second-class event. Three days before the opening of the Olympics, the then President of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samarancha, held negotiations and convinced Italy, Great Britain, and Spain to send their athletes to the Games in Moscow. From many countries taking part in the boycott, for example, from France, Great Britain, Greece, athletes came individually and competed under the Olympic flags. Despite all efforts, the Games in the USSR had the smallest number of participants since the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. Later, as expected, the USSR and its allies announced a boycott of the 1984 Olympics, which was held in the USA. This decision affected the fate of many athletes, and soon the USSR team lost its leading position. Four-time Olympic champion Lisa Leslie commented: “Washington politicians have ruined the fate of many great athletes: some still regret the lost four years of their lives, while others consider their medals to be less than full.”

However, at the 1980 Olympics, gold medals in Moscow were won by athletes from 25 countries, and the medalists of the games were representatives of 36 countries. More than half of all gold medals were won by athletes from both the USSR (80) and the GDR (47). No other country has won 10 gold medals. Some Eastern European countries have won the most medals in their Olympic history, not only at the time of the Moscow Olympics, but to this day, in particular Bulgaria (41) and Poland (32). For the first time in their history, Brazilians won more than one gold medal (both golds in sailing). Athletes from Zimbabwe won their first ever gold. The Spaniards also won their first gold since 1928.

GOODBYE, OUR AFFORDING MISHA

The apotheosis of the 1980 Olympics was the flight of the bear, the mascot of the Games. With tears in my eyes, to the song “Goodbye, Moscow!” performed by Lev Leshchenko and Tatyana Antsiferova, the fans escorted him to the “fairytale forest”.

Creating a mascot is not an easy task. Few people can remember the mascots of, say, the Games in Seoul in 1988 or Barcelona in 1992, or the recent Games in London. In this sense, the Olympic bear became another, perhaps, the most famous hero of the games. It was decided by popular vote to make the hero of Russian fairy tales the mascot of the Moscow Olympics. The majority of viewers of the program “In the Animal World” voted for the bear cub. “The drawing competition that the Olympic Committee announced did not bring results, so it was decided to turn to the children’s book artists,” Viktor Chizhikov, the author of the Olympic symbol, told RIA Novosti. The bear sketch was chosen from hundreds of options. According to Chizhikov, at first it was just a bear cub. “We had to figure out where to depict the symbols of the Olympics. This turned out to be the most difficult,” explained the artist. The creator of the Olympic mascot recalls that he immediately ruled out the option with a medal around the neck - it was trivial. The artist tried to “put” a cap on the bear, but his ears got in the way. When the deadlines began to draw near, the decision came by itself: Mishka, surrounded by Olympic rings, appeared to Chizhikov in a dream.

“I HAVE SOMETHING TO SING WHEN I PRESENT BEFORE THE LORD”

The blissful picture of the exemplary city during the Olympics was spoiled by the sudden death of Vladimir Vysotsky to the authorities. They, the authorities, tried to minimize information about the actor’s death. Only a small square of an obituary in the newspaper “Evening Moscow”. Of course, it was expected that Vysotsky’s funeral would be an extraordinary event. But no one expected that they would take place on July 28, 1980 - neither the authorities nor the artist’s relatives. In seemingly extinct Moscow, thousands of people gathered in a small square to say goodbye to Vysotsky. The further narrative consists of the memories of eyewitnesses of that day.

“Volodya was lying on the stage dressed as Hamlet. His hands were somehow worn out, folded very helplessly. People began to be allowed in at 10 am. These people who came to say goodbye had been standing since the night, and this crowd was walking from Nogina Square (Kitai-Gorod). At this time, all exits from the metro were blocked, and all adjacent streets were cordoned off. People kept walking and walking.

When they started letting people in, the music started playing, then they heard the voice of Hamlet-Vysotsky: “What is a person”... What was striking was the absence of falsehood in everything. And another amazing gesture, the same for almost all men. Passing by the coffin, everyone shook Volodin’s hand. A gesture, a handshake - some kind of conspiracy, an oath...

At 4 o’clock after the funeral service, when Volodya’s coffin was taken out, he was met by a crowd standing under the hot white sun. The entire Taganskaya Square on both sides of the overpass is packed with people. People filled the roofs and windows of houses, subways, kiosks, and department stores. Writer Yuri Trifonov will tell Lyubimov: “How to die after Vysotsky.”

And when the bus with the coffin drove away from the theater, people waved their hands and flowers after the bus. And the boys released the pigeons. Someone in the crowd said: “A piece of free Russia has died.”

The cars speed up... Only a very young boy in a black jacket continues to run. The street goes down, the crowd along the pavement thins, and he still runs. It’s scary to look at him: he’s deathly pale, it seems that a little more and he’ll crash to the ground. If conscience could, by some miracle, be embodied in human form that day, it would be this boy in a black jacket. The first cars started walking on the roads. The metro operates at entrance only. Suddenly people near the metro began chanting: “Shame! A shame!" It turned out that they tried to remove the portrait of the artist in the window of the second floor of the theater. The portrait was returned. Volodin’s grave was, as it were, not in the cemetery, but as if between the cemetery and the city. First row. Now I understand that, probably, there is no better place for him.”

Probably everyone knows what the Olympic Games are, many love and appreciate them. Each time, huge crowds of spectators and many athletes gather for the next games. Participation in the Olympic Games is the main achievement for every athlete. For Russia, the Olympic Games are an important part of the cultural heritage, because throughout the entire period of its participation in the Olympic Games, the USSR was in the lead in the overall standings of the games, Soviet athletes won first places, set records and remained the best athletes in the world, competing only with the United States.

The Olympic Games began their existence in ancient times. In the 19th century, known for its reverent attitude towards ancient times, the idea arose to revive the Olympic Games. The idea was that people would be able to compete and fight peacefully through sports rather than on the battlefield. This idea belonged to the French baron Pierre de Coubertin. Thanks to him, the International Olympic Committee was founded in 1894, the model of the Olympic Games was created and the rules were approved. We can say that it was thanks to the enthusiasm of this man that the first Olympic Games of our time were held in 1896.

As you know, the Olympic Games are held every four years. Since 1924, the Winter Olympic Games have also been held, although in 1994 the dates of their holding were shifted by two years relative to the summer games.

In the USSR, the Olympic Games were held only once a year. The mascot of these XXII Summer Games was the Olympic Bear. And the XXII Winter Olympic Games 2014 in Sochi are being held for the first time in Russia.

Olympic Games in the USSR

As you know, the USSR as a country appeared in 1922. Back in 1920, Vsevobuch (universal military training) as an organization of the USSR tried to send a delegation to the Olympic Games, but nothing worked, because European countries avoided and ignored the USSR as best they could. And only after the end of World War II the USSR became a participant in the Olympic Games. In 1951, the USSR Olympic Committee was organized and accepted into the IOC.

The USSR first took part in the Olympic Games in 1952 in Helsinki. The USSR team consisted of 295 participants. The first participation - and immediately took 2nd place in the overall standings of the games. The first Olympic champion of the USSR was Nina Ponomareva Romashkina. She took the gold medal in the discus throwing event, setting a record of 51.42 m. In total, the Soviet Union team won 22 gold medals, 30 silver and 19 bronze.

In 1956, the Winter Olympic Games were held in the city of Cortina d'Apmezzo, in which the USSR also participated for the first time. Then our country won a landslide victory in the overall standings of the games - 16 medals were taken, 7 of which were gold. Several Soviet athletes became Olympic champions: speed skaters Boris Shilkov and Yuri Mikhailov (distance 500 m and 1500 m), skier Lyubov Kozyreva (10 km race), speed skater Evgeny Grishin became a champion twice (500 m and 1500 m. ), as well as the USSR men's ski team and the USSR ice hockey team.

The 1960 Olympic Games, held in Rome, were just as successful for the USSR. The USSR national team took first place both in the total number of awards and in the number of all medals. For example, in artistic gymnastics competitions, Soviet athletes took 15 out of 16 medals. The famous Olympic champion Larisa Latynina won 6 awards in 1960. In total, the Soviet Union received 103 medals, of which 43 were gold.

The 1964 and 1968 Olympics also brought the Soviet Union 2nd place. At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, 96 medals were won, of which 30 were gold, and at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, 91 medals were won, of which 29 were gold.

Between 1952 and 1968, about 28 Soviet athletes became Olympic champions.

The 1972 Olympics in Sapporo became a difficult task for Soviet athletes: by the 50th anniversary of the USSR, they had to win 50 gold medals and overtake the United States in the number of medals. It’s hard to imagine, but the athletes fulfilled these requirements - they won exactly 50 gold medals! Eight Soviet track and field athletes became winners of the Olympic Games. Anatoly Bondarchuk set a new record in the hammer throw, Lyudmila Bragina started three times at a distance of 1500 m and improved the world record all three times, Nikolai Avilov set a world record in the decathlon.

The 1976 Summer Olympics, held in Montreal, again brought the USSR 1st place and as many as 125 medals, of which 49 were gold.

In 1980, the XXII Summer Olympic Games were held in Moscow. But they were boycotted by more than 50 countries due to the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan in 1979. Still, some athletes from these countries came to the Olympics on their own. In total, 80 countries took part in the Moscow Olympics. The USSR once again took 1st place, taking 195 medals, of which 80 were gold. Alexander Dityatin managed to do something that no other gymnastics competition participant has ever managed - he won 8 medals in 8 types of competitions. Alexander Melentyev set a world record for 50m pistol shooting, which no one has been able to break for 30 years.

The XXIII Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984 were boycotted by the USSR in response to the US boycott of the Moscow Olympic Games.

The 1988 Olympic Games were held in Seoul. These were the last Olympic Games in history for the USSR. That time, the USSR again took first place, collecting 132 medals, of which 55 were gold.

During the entire period of the USSR's participation in the Olympic Games, 44 Soviet athletes became Olympic champions, receiving 3 or more gold medals. Soviet athletes took part in 18 Olympic Games (9 summer and 9 winter) and each time demonstrated incredible athletic achievements, excellent preparation, and set world records. The USSR was always in the lead in the overall standings and never fell below 2nd place. The USSR took 2nd place in the number of medals in the entire history of the Olympic Games - 1204 medals, of which as many as 473 were gold. These were truly the best athletes, strong in both body and spirit, who never lost and always proudly glorified their country.