Rustem Khamitov met with the participants of XVIII Winter Deaflympics

UFA, 15 April 2015. /Bashinform News Agency, Iliya Spiridonov/. On April 14, at the House of Republic the Head of Bashkortostan Rustem Khamitov met with the athletes, members of the Russian national team, which represented the region at the XVIII Winter Deaflympics 2015.

Recall that the main competitions of Deaflympics were held in Khanty-Mansiysk, and a ski stage - at "Metallurg Magnitogorsk" ski-centre in Abzelilovo region of Bashkortostan. Eight hockey players from Ufa (Konstantin Gamayurov, Pavel Yevtushenko, Sergei Kikin, Vyacheslav Sidorov, Stanislav Khakimov, Stanislav Il'ichev, Sergey Yushkin and Dmitry Yadryshnikov) as part of the Russian team led by coaches Andrey Vasilevsky Sr. and Vyacheslav Shevnin won the gold medals of the Games.

“I want to thank you so much. You fellows, did not disappoint our republic, defended the honour of our hockey and won gold medals. Well done! Congratulations!”, Rustem Khamitov said.

The Head of Bashkortostan said that construction of sports and recreation complexes including swimming pools and gyms continued in the republic. In towns and districts there are new hockey rinks. All this contributes to the active involvement of youth in sports.

“Of course, we need to do more. We must finish the Paralympic Centre. We are obliged to complete the construction of the Ice Palace in Ordzhonikidze district of Ufa. We must build new hockey rinks in our municipalities and cities. We should make sports truly popular,” the Head of the Region said.

According to Rustem Khamitov, all holders of gold medals and the coaching staff will receive material compensation in accordance with the regulations approved in 2011.

“We can get good results. In recent years new ski slopes have appeared in Beloretsk, Sterlitamak. We will continue to pursue this work,” the Head of the Republic said. “There will be new chairlifts, new opportunities for training, new hotels. So we expect good result from you in four years.”

The Head of the Republic also said that in the short term in Deoma district a construction of indoor rink with artificial ice for year-round training for deaf athletes would be launched.

The Head of Bashkortostan congratulated the athletes with excellent performance at Deaflympics and wished them new victories.

In Bashkortostan work on involving the deaf in physical culture and sports has been conducted since 1995. The republic develops such Deaflympics sports like badminton, wrestling, volleyball, beach volleyball, athletics, indoor soccer, swimming, tennis, table tennis, football, chess, draughts, downhill skiing, cross country skiing, hockey. About 2 thousand athletes with hearing disabilities are engaged in sports clubs.

Over the past 10 years Deaflympic athletes from Bashkortostan participated in five summer and winter Deaflympics and won 38 medals (18 gold, 10 silver and 10 bronze).