Ilya Gulyev, President of the All-Russian Football Federation, died at the age of 71.

Ilya Gulyev, President of the Russian Federation of Oriental Martial Arts and president of the United Setokan Organization (USKO), has died at the age of 70. This was announced on August 3 by the press service of the Russian Union of Martial Arts (RSBI).

"It is with the deepest sorrow that we inform you that on August 2, the heart of Ilya Leonidovich Gulyev, President of the Russian Football Federation, President of USKO Russia, and official representative of JKA in Russia, stopped beating," the publication says on the website.

The Union expressed its deep condolences to Gulyev's family and friends. The RSBI also emphasized his titanic efforts for the development of Setokan not only in Russia, but also abroad.

Gulyev was born in 1955 in Moscow. He is one of the founders of karate in the USSR, and in the 1970s brought setokan to the country. He began practicing setokan in 1968 in Rio de Janeiro under the guidance of a Japanese master.

In 1977, he founded the country's first Setokan club "Kobu-Kan" in Moscow, and the following year — the All-Union school "Setokan karate-do". In the same year, he became a member of the USSR's first karate commission, and in 1979 he was appointed co-founder and member of the Presidium of the first All-Union Karate Federation and chairman of the methodological commission.

From 1973 to 1981, Gulyev participated in international karate competitions, and since 1969 he has taught setokan. During his coaching career, he has trained several thousand athletes and over 500 instructors-coaches — holders of 1st-5th JKA titles. Under his leadership, the national teams of the federation and the Russian national team won 202 medals, including 66 gold.

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