Honored Coach of the USSR Alexander Kalinin died at the age of 81.

Honored coach of the USSR Alexander Kalinin died in Cherepovets. This was announced on June 5 on the official website of the city.

"Alexander Kalinin, a man who stood at the origins of speed skating in Cherepovets, died at the age of 81. The farewell to the coach will take place on June 6 at 13:00 at the ritual center at 38B Borshodskaya Street," the publication says.

Since 1968, Kalinin has worked in Cherepovets, becoming a symbol of the local sports school. He trained more than 20 masters of sports, among them Olympic champion Sergey Fokichev, Olympic medalist Ivan Skobrev, two—time USSR champion Galina Fradina, USSR champion Valery Sikorsky and Russian Cup winner Igor Zakharov.

Kalinin is an honored coach of the USSR and Russia, a recipient of the badge "For Special Services to the city of Cherepovets" and a member of the executive committee of the Russian Skating Union. His name will forever remain in the history of Russian sports.

"This is a huge loss for the city. I didn't have a chance to work closely with Alexander Kalinin, but we crossed paths at various events when I was an athlete myself. I knew him, what kind of achievements he had, what kind of athletes he had raised. There are very few such personalities in any field," said Stepan Malinovsky, Chairman of the Cherepovets Sports Committee.