Degtyarev held a solemn meeting with veterans in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Victory

On May 5, Mikhail Degtyarev, head of the department and President of the Russian Olympic Committee, held a gala dinner dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War (WWII) in the Elizabethan Hall of the Russian Ministry of Sports. Veterans of sports, home front workers, children of war, as well as modern defenders of the Fatherland were invited to the meeting.

"Dear veterans, distinguished guests! I am very pleased to be here today, on this memorable day. The feat of our people will forever remain an example for future generations. I bow low to you, dear veterans, low bow to all those who pass on their knowledge to the youth, and eternal memory to those who fell in battle," said Degtyarev.

He also spoke about the release of the four-volume edition "Memory", dedicated to the role of sports during the war. The book includes unique archival materials, including the first-time published names of front-line athletes. All participants of the event received a collection as a gift.

"We couldn't get past this topic — our publishing house, the oldest sports house in the country, has always addressed the topic of war. We have published books about athletes at the front many times, but this is the first time we have made a whole series of four books," added Valery Steinbach, one of the authors of the collection, Doctor of Historical Sciences and Professor.

Participants of the Special Military Operation (SVO) were also present at the meeting. Mikhail Degtyarev highlighted Roman Grishin, a veteran of the Russian Military, a knight of the Order of Courage.

"He was trained under the Time of Heroes program, and I was honored to be his mentor, and now he works at the Federal Sports Reserve Training Center. As our President of Russia, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, said, this is the new elite of the country," Degtyarev stressed.

Three-time Olympic champion Galina Gorokhova thanked the Ministry for continuing the traditions, noting, "to be a patriot, you need to know the history of the country, to know the milestones of great victories."

Two-time Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics Lidiya Ivanova shared her memories of the first post-war Olympic Games, noting that in 1956 they were sent to the Olympics in Australia and "people who survived the war greeted them as heroes."

"The words "the future of Russia" and "the bond of generations" are not just slogans. This is the essence of what we see here, in this hall, where people gathered who forged the glory of Soviet and Russian sports," said Pavel Rozhkov, Honored Coach of Russia, President of the Paralympic Committee.

Special words of gratitude were addressed to sports veterans, war children and home front workers, whose life examples inspire young people today.

Victory Streets: Izvestia exhibitions — on boulevards, at the airport and parks

Historical photographs of the newspaper's correspondents will tell about the Great Patriotic War

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, an exhibition of military photographs by Izvestia Military Center opened in Vorontsovsky Park in Moscow on May 5. The exhibition features authentic printed posters from 1941-1945, as well as projects showing the artists' work on the posters before they were printed. In addition, guests of the park will be able to see memorials dedicated to the Great Patriotic War (WWII), and authentic items from this period — banners, household items and much more.