The history of the winter olympic games for children. First Winter Olympic Games. Winter Olympics program

Winter Olympic Games- world competitions in winter sports. Like the Summer Olympic Games, they are held under the auspices of the IOC (International Olympic Committee).

The first Winter Olympic Games took place in 1924. At first, the winter and Summer Games were held in the same year, but since 1994, they have been held at intervals of two years. To date, the program of the Winter Olympic Games has significantly expanded, the number of participants has increased, among which there are many athletes from southern countries.

Winter sports were first introduced at the Olympics long not only before the first Winter Games, but even before the very idea of ​​holding them. Thus, with the creation in 1894 of the International Olympic Committee, among other sports, it was proposed to include skating in the future Olympic program. However, there were no "ice" disciplines in the first three Olympics. They first appeared at the Games - 1908 in London: skaters competed in 4 types of programs.

Official debut. France. Chamonix. 1924

Saying that the White Games No. 1 took place in 1924 in Chamonix, historians are in conflict with jurisprudence. The fact is that what happened in the French Alps 80 years ago was officially called quite differently. "A week winter sports dedicated upcoming Games VIII Olympiad in Paris»- this is how the competitions were called for a long time, for which 293 athletes from 16 countries gathered in January-February of the 24th year.

To date, with the system winter views sports, there are 15 disciplines:

• 1) Bobsleigh
• 2) Mining skiing
• 3) Curling
• 4) Skating
• 5) Nordic combined
• 6) Cross-country skiing
• 7) Ski jumping
• 8) Luge
• 9) Skeleton
• 10) Snowboard
• 11) Figure Skating
• 12) Freestyle
• 13) Hockey
• 14) Short track
• 15) Biathlon

Interesting facts from the history of the Winter Olympic Games:

• v For the first time, competitions resembling modern biathlon were included in the program of major international competitions in 1924 at the 1st Winter Olympic Games in French Chamonix under the name “military patrol competitions”, and were held as demonstration competitions.
• v Until 1988, for nine consecutive Olympics, skiers competed in only three disciplines: downhill, slalom and giant slalom. In the future, there were five of them - the combination was returned to the program and a super giant was added.
• v The program of the Winter Olympic Games included speed skating for men from the very beginning - from 1924, and since 1960 competitions for women began to be held.
• v Note that Russian skiers have received permission from the government of our country to participate in the Winter Olympic Games since 1956. During the Iron Curtain period, Soviet athletes missed six Olympics.
• v In 1908 and 1920 figure skating competitions were held at the Summer Olympics. Note that figure skating- the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic program. Since 1924, figure skating has been a constant presence at the Winter Olympics.
• v At the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada, short track was presented as a demonstration sport. He was fully accepted into the Olympic family only in 1992 and since then has been an integral part of the white Olympics.

The history of the Olympic Games goes back to ancient times. 776 BC In the most sacred place for the Greeks in a small town called Olympia, the five-day Olympiad competitions were held once every four years. Competitions were held on the first days of the full moon after the summer solstice. Tens of thousands of athletes from different cities and a huge number of guests completely filled the grandiose athletic facilities. Before the start of the Olympics, throughout Greece, the beginning of a sacred truce was announced, all wars and disagreements stopped for a period of exactly one month. The celebration of the Olympics was accompanied by many religious ceremonies, as well as big amount sports.

In the early days of the Olympics, it was customary to make a sacrifice to the gods, and the men who took part in the games, take an oath of the statue of Zeus. Not only ordinary citizens, but even members of royal families took part in the competitions. But the most prominent participant in the Olympic competitions of those times is the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, who managed to win twice in hand-to-hand combat. In ancient times, it was considered good form to have a superbly built figure, as proof of hard and long training. According to this fact, the athletes who participated in the games were naked.

Participated in competitions only men, the same rule applied to the spectators of the competitions. There was one strict rule for the spectators of the competitions, they had to be Greek citizens who had never been attracted by the law in their lives. Women were strictly forbidden not only to participate, but also to look at these spectacles. Women who dared to disobey this decision faced a terrible punishment in the form of throwing them into the abyss.

The only woman who was not subject to the ban on attending sports as a spectator was a priestess of the goddess Demeter. A throne was specially built for her, which was installed in a place of honor in the stadium. Competitions were held in the following sports: racing in a team of 4 horses, racing in chariots harnessed in a team of 2 horses, javelin throwing, long jump, wrestling, discus throwing, hand-to-hand combat, run and fisticuffs. Those athletes who managed to take first places in the competition were awarded with traditional olive wreaths, and in exceptional cases they were even allowed to put their statue in the Altis grove, which was a sacred place for the Greeks. Games were held until 394 AD. until Emperor Theodosius considered the games to be pagan rites and forbade them.

Revival of the Olympic Games

The Olympic Games were revived thanks to a French teacher and public figure Pierre de Coubertin at the end of the 19th century, who submitted to the International Sports Committee the idea of ​​resuming the Olympic Games and the creation of the International Olympic Committee. A couple of years later, in 1896, the competitions of the first modern Olympic Games were held in the same way on the territory of Greece, as they had been many centuries ago, but this time in Athens. They were attended by 250 athletes from around the world. Pierre de Coubertin coined the very motto of the Olympic Games, which remains relevant to this day "Faster, higher, stronger."

The competition was a great success, apart from a small incident that happened to the Greek athlete at the marathon, who took third place and was immediately disqualified due to the fact that he was caught cheating. The athlete, as it turned out, drove a cart for some distance. But this did not prevent the Greek authorities from offering their country as the venue for the permanent competition. To the regret of the Greek authorities, the International Olympic Committee wrote down a rule that said that every four years the venue of the Olympics changes. In the same year, swimming in the sea harbor of Athens-Piraeus was included in the Olympics. They were attended by many athletes from around the world. And then there were some incidents, the American participant Gardner Williams, after the start of the competition, left the water and did not continue to take part in the competition due to the low water temperature.

In 1900, the II Olympiad was held in France in the city of Paris. It was attended by 997 athletes from 24 countries. Participants of the Olympiad fought in 20 sports, for 95 sets of medals. In the marathon race, the first three places were taken by the French team. But to the great surprise of the participants themselves, they were disqualified due to the fact that, having come to the finish line first, their uniforms differed from others in cleanliness and tidiness, although throughout the entire distance in some places there were huge puddles of mud that could not be avoided. The judges unanimously agreed that the knowledge of the Parisian streets allowed the athletes to shorten the path, thereby violating the established rules of the game.

There were some excesses at the III Olympiad held in 1904 in America in the city of St. Louis. The reason for the big scandal was again a participant in the marathon race. An athlete named Fred Lortz, having covered a distance of 14 km, decided to make the rest of the journey by car. He came to the finish line first and was awarded a gold medal. But to the surprise of the runner, there were witnesses and proved the fact of fraud, for which the athlete was stripped of the title of winner and disqualified from the game.

At the Olympic Games in 1908 held in London, a marathon distance was established, which remains unchanged to this day, its length is 42 km 195 m. Many people wonder why these figures were taken as the basis, and the reason for this was the fact that at the request of the Queen of England herself, it was necessary to start at the royal palace. Thus, the organizers of the competitions had to repeatedly change the figures and stop at these figures, which exactly met the requirements of the queen. The first to finish was an Italian runner named Dorando Pietri.

However, after long and heated discussions, panel of judges came to the conclusion that he should be disqualified due to the fact that not far from the finish line, feeling slightly unwell, the marathon runner sought medical help, which was contrary to the rules and requirements of the race. But despite this fact of disqualification, Dorando Pietri was awarded a gilded cup from the hands of the queen herself. And the American athlete Johnny Hayes was declared the winner of this race. After this turn of events, life got a catchphrase "The important thing is not to win but to take part", which was delivered by the Bishop of Pennsylvania to Ethelbert Talbot at one of the sermons in the London Cathedral. It is worth noting one more important historical fact that field hockey competitions were also held in this Olympics and for the first time Great Britain was represented by four teams that managed to get all the awards from gold to bronze and share them among themselves.

did not stay away and Russian athletes , in the same year they took an active part in the London Olympics in figure skating and classical wrestling. The Russian athlete Nikolay Panin-Kolomenkin became the gold medalist in figure skating, and Nikolai Orlov and Andrey Petrov received silver medals in classical wrestling in light and heavy weight.

A little later, in 1911, on March 16, it was decided to gather representatives of the sports communities of St. Petersburg and Moscow in the former principality on Sadovaya in the city of St. Petersburg. Their number was 34 people, one of the representatives was the Russian General Alexei Butovsky who, at the request of the founder of the first modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin, became a member of the International Olympic Committee shortly before this meeting. At the meeting, they adopted changes to the draft charter of the Russian Olympic Committee, then submitted it for government approval, and also elected members of this committee among those present. The chairman's post was taken by 63-year-old State Councilor Vyacheslav Sreznevsky.

A very interesting fact happened at the Olympics held in 1912 in Stockholm, which was continued after 55 years. Representatives from different countries of the world participated in the marathon race, and one of the participants was a Japanese athlete named Shitso Kanaguri. Having run a distance of several kilometers, the marathon runner felt unwell and slightly dizzy, when he saw the house he ran up to him and asked the owner to pour him a glass of water. The owner of the house turned out to be a very hospitable person and escorted the runner into the room, and when he returned with a glass of water he saw that his guest was fast asleep and did not disturb his peace. Shitso Kanaguri slept for a whole day. Many years later, this story was not forgotten, and in 1967 the Olympic Committee decided to give the 76-year-old athlete the opportunity to finish what he started and give another attempt to run the rest of the path he had not completed many years ago.

After a loud and disastrous performance Russian team at the Olympics in Stockholm, the Russian Emperor Nicholas II decided, by all means, to develop and strengthen the sports spirit and sports training among the population of the country. He appointed the commander of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment, Major General of the retinue Vladimir Voeikov, as the chief overseeing the ongoing training, or as it is customary to call it now the minister. The reports to the emperor reported that the preparation of the population and the hard training of athletes give great results. Based on this fact, as demonstration performances, the emperor decided to hold in 1913 the first Russian Olympics in the city of Kyiv. The figures exceeded the expectations of even Vladimir Voeikov himself, in competitions in athletics, Russian athletes set 10 records.

Another one of the unforgettable interesting facts in the process of becoming the modern Olympic Games occurred in 1924 at the Olympics held in France. Before the beginning football match between Uruguay and Yugoslavia, according to tradition, the flags of the participating countries were hung out and the flag of Uruguay was hung upside down, and instead of the anthem, the musicians mixed up the sheet music and performed a completely different melody. But this fact not only shocked the participants of the competition, but even gave them more confidence in victory and the Uruguayan team became the owner of the gold medal.

History of the Winter Olympics

In view of the huge popularity of the Olympic Games in the summer, the Olympic Committee decided to hold winter olympic games also under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee. The first Winter Olympic Games were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France. At first, the Winter and Summer Games were held in the same year, but since 1994 they have been held at two-year intervals. An integral symbol of the Olympic Games has become a fire that is lit from the beginning of the opening ceremony of the Olympics and burns until the end of the games. The tradition of lighting the Olympic flame originates in ancient Greece, where it served as a reminder of the feat of Prometheus, who stole the fire from Zeus and gave it to people. The tradition was revived again in 1928 at the games in Amsterdam and continues to this day.

In the history of the existence of the Olympic Games, there was a single case when The Olympic Games were held in two different countries. This happened at the XVI Olympic Games in 1956 in Australia, when it became clear that equestrian competitions, which are included in the program of the Olympic Games, could not be held in Melbourne due to the fact that Australia has a law according to which animals from abroad can only be imported after a six-month quarantine, and then only from three countries. The situation without a way out prompted the Olympic Games Committee to think about holding these competitions in Sweden.

By decision of the International Olympic Committee adopted in 1974, it was decided to hold the XXII Summer Olympic Games in Moscow. These were the most honest modern Olympic Games in their entire history. This opinion was formed after a number of tests were carried out for doping and other drugs prohibited in the Olympic Games. The results were simply shocking, from a huge number of tests, not a single positive result was revealed.

An interesting fact happened in 2000 at the Olympic Games held in Sydney. A swimmer from Equatorial Guinea took first place in the 100m freestyle, but this fact was not so remarkable and was remembered by the audience for many years. The fact is that in fact the athlete began and is learning to swim literally nine months before the start of the Olympic battles, and at the time of the stratum in the swim, he almost drowned in the pool, and his rivals who took a false start were disqualified for this. Thanks to such an interesting set of circumstances, the swimmer won the gold medal. But in 2004 at the Olympic Games in Athens, two of our athletes in synchronized swimming became the owners of the gold medal in a well-deserved way, despite the fact that the music was periodically turned off during the performance of the program, but the skill honed to professionalism made it possible to finish the performance at highest level, for which the athletes received the highest scores from the jury.

Birth of the Paralympic Games

The Paralympic Games are considered the second great event after the Olympic Games. The founder of these games is the neurosurgeon Ludwig Guttmann, who introduced sports into the process of rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries. This was done in order for people with physical disabilities to regain their mental balance and it allowed them to return to a full life regardless of physical disabilities. He first tried his method in 1948 when he assembled a team of people with disabilities to participate in wheelchair archery games. After such a high-profile experiment, the number of people wishing to participate in this kind of competition began to increase every year, and in 1953, when the number of participants in the competition grew to 130 people, this attracted great attention from the Olympic movement. So 1960 in Rome, were first held International competitions disabled people, in which representatives from 23 countries of the world in the amount of 400 participants took an active part. The program included eight sports (swimming, basketball, table tennis, fencing, archery and Athletics). And later, in 1964, the International sports organization persons with disabilities, which included representatives from 16 countries of the world.

First official Paralympic Games took place in Japan in 1964. The games featured competitions in 7 sports, including weightlifting, discus throwing and wheelchair riding. They were attended by athletes from 22 countries in the amount of 390 athletes. An official opening ceremony was held with the raising of the flag and the singing of the anthem. Here, for the first time, the official emblem of the Paralympic Games was presented in the form of a red, blue and green hemisphere. The Paralympic Games are held every four years after the main Olympic Games, and since 1992 in the same cities. In 2001, this agreement was secured between the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee. The Summer Paralympic Games have been held since 1960, and the Winter Paralympic Games only since 1976.

For those wishing to participate in the Paralympic Games, there are no barriers or age restrictions. In the history of the Paralympic competitions, there was even a case when the American cyclist Barbara Buchan, at the age of 52, won gold medal at the Beijing Games. And this is by no means an isolated case in the practice of games.

Among the participants of the Paralympic Games there are a huge number of people who, before they got injured, were engaged in professional sports, and who found the strength to return to the sport, but in a slightly different capacity. We can safely say that the strength of mind and a great desire to win among such athletes is much higher than that of ordinary athletes. The Paralympic Committee decided to separate the disability groups. To date, there are six groups: athletes with amputated limbs, with cerebral palsy, with intellectual disabilities, with visual impairments, with spinal cord injuries and a group that includes other types of disabilities.

First Winter Paralympic Games took place in 1976 in Sweden in the city of Ernskoldsvik. They were attended not only by athletes with amputated limbs, but also by athletes with other categories of disability. In the same place, for the first time, it was decided to hold competitions in sled racing. At all skiing for people with disabilities became widespread after the Second World War, when soldiers who received injuries associated with amputation of limbs had a great desire to return to their favorite sport. In this regard, the Paralympic Committee decided to include slalom and giant slalom competitions in the winter program of the Paralympic Games, and in 1984 to add competitions in downhill and in 1994 in the super-giant slalom.

But at this stage, people with disabilities did not stop, and in 1970 an individual mono-ski was made for Paralympic skiers and people with musculoskeletal disorders got the opportunity to go in for skiing. In 1998, the competition of athletes with a violation of the musculoskeletal system was included in the program of the Paralympic Games held in Nagano. But that's not all, to date, a proposal has been put forward for consideration by the Paralympic Committee to include adaptive snowboarding in the program of the Paralympic Games.

The Winter Olympic Games are the largest winter sports competition on a planetary scale. The Olympics are held once every four years, in winter, under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee. The next White Olympics will be held in 2018 in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea.

Ode to Coubertin

Once every four years, one of the cities on the planet hosts athletes from all over the world to participate in the White or Winter Olympics. The Winter Olympic Games, like the Olympic Movement as a whole, owe their origin to the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin, who resumed the tradition of sports competitions held in ancient greece.

In 1896, a public figure, convinced that the youth of the world should compete with each other not on the battlefield, but on the sports arena, organized the International Olympic Committee, and in the same year, Greece, as the historical homeland of the Olympics, hosted the first Summer Olympic Games.

The idea of ​​including winter sports in the Olympic program has haunted Coubertin ever since the Games' revival, but getting them into the roster of disciplines has proven to be a challenge. For the first time, winter sports appeared only at the 1908 Olympics in London and were represented by four disciplines for figure skaters. Among the winners of the first winter competition were the Swedes, Russians, Germans and British.

northern gamesVSWhite Olympics

Nevertheless, these competitions, of course, did not reach the level of a full-fledged event dedicated to winter sports. In many ways, the development of the idea of ​​the Winter Olympic Games was slowed down by the Scandinavian countries, primarily Sweden.

The fact is that in Stockholm at that time there were NordicGames - the Northern Games. The event took place from 1901 to 1926 - the Northern Games were the first international sporting event dedicated to winter sports. The Finns, Norwegians, and, first of all, the Swedes, who had a monopoly on the event, did not seek to bring the original northern sports to the world stage and sincerely perplexed Coubertin's idea to introduce the Winter Olympic Games, because it is obvious that in ancient Greece on ice no one between did not compete. Despite the active protest of the Swedes, history decreed otherwise. In 1926, the last Northern Games took place, the end of the era of which was facilitated by several factors at once - the beginning of the winter Olympic movement, the lack of snow in Sweden in 1930 for the games, the Great Depression, and after - the Second World War.

First Winter Olympics

As the era of the Northern Games drew to a close, Pierre de Coubertin applied all his diplomatic skills to organize and host the first White Olympiad. In 1921-1922, he created a commission for the organization of the Winter Olympic Games, which included representatives, mainly from the northern countries - Canada, Sweden, Norway and a number of European countries. Despite the contradictions that reigned within the commission, as well as the negative forecasts of financiers about the payback of the White Olympics through the sale of tickets for competitions, de Coubertin lobbied for the holding of a "Winter Sports Week dedicated to the upcoming Games of the VIII Olympiad in Paris." The venue was the French ski resort Chamonix, where 293 athletes from 16 countries arrived in 1924. The competitions were held under the auspices of the IOC, and now and then the Olympic flags soared in the air, the audience was half-hearted, but still came to watch the competition. All this subsequently allowed Coubertin to rename the Winter Sports Week into the I Winter Olympic Games.

The second White Olympiad was held in St. Moritz, Switzerland, the third Olympiad was hosted by the American Lake Placid. Until 1992, the Winter Olympics were held every four years, the same year as the summer competitions. The exceptions were 1940 and 1944, when the Olympics were canceled due to World War II.

In 1992, the IOC decided to shift the schedule of the Winter Games by two years relative to the summer ones, thus, only two years passed between the Olympics in Albertville and Lillehammer.

Winter disciplines of the Olympic Games

To date, the IOC has approved a list of 15 disciplines in 7 winter sports that will be included in the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea:

1. Skating: figure skating, speed skating, short track,
2. Skiing: alpine skiing, skiing, freestyle, Nordic combined, ski jumping and snowboarding,
3. Bobsleigh: bobsleigh and skeleton,
4. Biathlon,
5. Curling,
6. Hockey,
7. Luge.

The number of Olympic disciplines is not static, some sports are excluded from the program, while others, on the contrary, become part of it. For example, in 2018, for the first time, viewers will be able to watch competitions in big-air disciplines in snowboarding, a mass start in speed skating, and the parallel slalom presented at the Sochi Olympics will be excluded from the program.

The long-lived discipline among winter sports can be called figure skating, which was included in the program of the 1908 Olympics in London. The most "fresh" discipline is snowboarding.

OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES, complex winter sports competitions held by the IOC 1 time in 4 years. The decision to hold independent Olympic Winter Games on a regular basis was made in 1925 at the IOC Session in Prague. This was facilitated by the success of world competitions in winter sports - the International Sports Week on the occasion of the VIII Olympiad (1924, Chamonix, France), to which the IOC assigned the name "I Olympic Winter Games"; the term "Olympics" in connection with the Olympic Winter Games is not accepted, but in sports and popular literature the name " White Olympics". Until 1992, the Olympic Winter Games were held in the year of the Summer Olympic Games, since 1994 - in the middle of the Olympic cycle. In the program of 7 Olympic sports .

In 1924-2014, 22 Olympic Winter Games were held - in the USA (4), France (3), Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Japan, Italy, Canada (2 each), Germany, Yugoslavia, Russia (1 each). Most often, the capitals of the Olympic Winter Games were St. Moritz, Lake Placid and Innsbruck (2 times each). In 1968 at the Olympic winter games The first Olympic mascot appeared in Grenoble. The same ceremonies are held at the Olympic Winter Games as at the Summer Games. Olympic Games, ignition Olympic flame, raising the Olympic flag (with the same emblem), opening and closing parades, awarding Olympic champions and medalists, etc. Olympic records are recorded only in speed skating. The list of statesmen and crowned persons who officially opened them testifies to the high prestige of the competitions: Chamonix, 1924 - Gaston Vidal (Deputy Secretary of State of France); St. Moritz, 1928 - Edmund Schultes (President of Switzerland); Lake Placid, 1932 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Governor of New York, USA); Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 1936 - Adolf Hitler (Reich Chancellor of Germany); St. Moritz, 1948 - Enrico Celio (President of Switzerland); Oslo, 1952 - Princess Ragnhild (Her Royal Highness of Norway); Cortina d "Ampezzo, 1956 - Giovanni Gronchi (President of Italy); Squaw Valley, 1960 - Richard Nixon (Vice President of the United States); Innsbruck, 1964 - Adolf Scherf (Federal President of Austria); Grenoble, 1968 - Charles de Gaulle (President France); Sapporo, 1972 - Hirohito (Emperor of Japan); Innsbruck, 1976 - Rudolf Kirschhagler (Federal President of Austria); Lake Placid, 1980 - Walter Mondale (U.S. Vice President); Sarajevo, 1984 - Mika Shpilyak (President of Yugoslavia) ; Calgary, 1988 - Jeanne Matilde Sauve (Governor General of Canada); Albertville, 1992 - Francois Mitterrand (President of France); Lillehammer, 1994 - Harald V (King of Norway); Nagano, 1998 - Akihito (Emperor of Japan); Salt Lake City, 2002 - George W. Bush (President of the United States), Turin, 2006 - Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (President of Italy), Vancouver, 2010 - Mikael Jean (Governor General of Canada), Sochi, 2014 - Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (President of Russia) In the entire history of the White Olympiads, women have opened them only twice (Oslo, 1952; Calgary, 1988).

The largest number of medals in the history of the Olympic Winter Games (as of January 1, 2018) was won by athletes of the national teams: Russia; Norway (22; 118, 111, 100); USA (22; 96, 102, 83); Germany; Sweden (22; 50, 40, 54); Finland (22; 42, 62, 57).

See Table 1 for dates and main totals for all Olympic Winter Games. the largest number Olympic medals at the Olympic Winter Games, see table 2. For athletes who have participated in 6 or more White Olympiads, see table 3.

Table 1. The main results of the Olympic Winter Games (Chamonix, 1924 - Sochi, 2014)

Olympic Winter Games
Official name. Capital, dates. main stadium. Games Mascots (since 1968)	Number of countries; athletes (including women); sets of medals played in sports	Most Successful Athletes (medals gold, silver, bronze)	Countries that have won the most medals (gold, silver, bronze)
I Olympic Winter Games. Chamonix, 25.1–5.2.1924. Olympic Stadium (45 thousand seats)	16; 258 (11); 16 to 9	K. Thunberg (Finland; 3, 1, 1); T. Haug (Norway; 3, 0, 0); Y. Skutnab (Finland; 1, 1, 1)	Norway (4, 7, 6); Finland (4, 4, 3); Austria (2, 1, 0); Switzerland (2, 0, 1); USA (1, 2, 1)
II Olympic Winter Games. St. Moritz, February 11–February 19, 1928. Badrutts Park	25; 464 (26); 14 to 6	K. Thunberg (Finland; 2, 0, 0); J. Gröttumsbroten (2, 0, 0) and B. Evensen (1, 1, 1; both - Norway)	Norway (6, 4, 5); USA (2, 2, 2); Sweden (2, 2, 1); Finland (2, 1, 1); France and Canada (1, 0, 0 each)
III Olympic Winter Games. Lake Placid, 4.2–15.2.1932. Olympic Stadium (7.5 thousand seats)	17; 252 (21); 14 to 4	J. Shea and I. Jeffy (2, 0, 0 each; both - USA)	USA (6, 4, 2); Norway (3, 4, 3); Sweden (1, 2, 0); Canada (1, 1, 5); Finland (1, 1, 1)
IV Olympic Winter Games. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, February 6–February 16, 1936. "Olympia-skistadion" ("Olympia-Skistadion"; 35 thousand seats)	28; 646 (80); 17 to 4	I. Ballangrud (3, 1, 0) and O. Hagen (1, 2, 0; both Norway); B. Vasenius (Finland; 0, 2, 1)	Norway (7, 5, 3); Germany (3, 3, 0); Sweden (2, 2, 3); Finland (1, 2, 3); Switzerland (1, 2, 0)
V Olympic Winter Games. St. Moritz, 30.1–8.2.1948. "Badruts Park"	28; 669(77); 22 to 4	A. Oreye (France; 2, 0, 1); M. Lundström (Sweden; 2, 0, 0)	Sweden (4, 3, 3); Norway (4, 3, 3); Switzerland (3, 4, 3); USA (3, 4, 2); France (2, 1, 2)
VI Olympic Winter Games. Oslo, 14.2–25.2.1952. "Bislett" ("Bislett"; St. 15 thousand seats)	30; 694 (109); 22 at 6	J. Andersen (Norway; 3, 0, 0); A. Mid-Laurence (USA; 2, 0, 0); L. Nieberl and A. Ostler (both - Germany; 2, 0, 0 each)	Norway (7, 3, 6); US (4, 6, 1); Finland (3, 4, 2); Germany (3, 2, 2); Austria (2, 4, 2)
VII Olympic Winter Games. Cortina d'Ampezzo, 26.1–5.2.1956. Olympic Stadium (12 thousand seats)	32; 821 (134); 24 to 4	A. Sailer (Austria; 3, 0, 0); E. R. Grishin (USSR; 2, 0, 0); S. Ernberg (Sweden; 1, 2, 1); V. Hakulinen (Finland; 1, 2, 0); P. K. Kolchin (USSR; 1, 0, 2)	USSR (7, 3, 6); Austria (4, 3, 4); Finland (3, 3, 1); Switzerland (3, 2, 1); Sweden (2, 4, 4)
VIII Olympic Winter Games. Squaw Valley, 18.2–28.2.1960. "Blyth Arena" ("Blyth Arena"; 8.5 thousand seats)	30; 665 (144); 27 to 4	L. P. Skoblikova and E. R. Grishin (both from the USSR; 2, 0, 0 each); V. Hakulinen (Finland; 1, 1, 1)	USSR (7, 5, 9); WGC* (4, 3, 1); USA (3, 4, 3); Norway (3, 3, 0); Sweden (3, 2, 2)
IX Olympic Winter Games. Innsbruck, 29.1–9.2.1964. "Bergisel" ("Bergisel"; up to 28 thousand seats)	36; 1091 (199); 34 to 6	L. P. Skoblikova (4, 0, 0) and K. S. Boyarskikh (3, 0, 0; both - USSR); E. Myanturanta (Finland; 2, 1, 0); S. Ernberg (Sweden; 2, 0, 1)	USSR (11, 8, 6); Austria (4, 5, 3); Norway (3, 6, 6); Finland (3, 4, 3); France (3, 4, 0)
X Olympic Winter Games. Grenoble, 6.2–18.2.1968. "Ledigier" ("Lesdiguie ̀ res"; approx. 12 thousand seats). Skier Schuss (unofficial)	37; 1158 (211); 35 to 6	J.C. Killy (France; 3, 0, 0); T. Gustafsson (Sweden; 2, 1.0)	Norway (6, 6, 2); USSR (5, 5, 3); France (4, 3, 2); Italy (4, 0, 0); Austria (3, 4, 4)
XI Olympic Winter Games. Sapporo, 3.2–13.2.1972. "Makomanai" (20 thousand seats)	35; 1006 (205); 35 to 6	G. A. Kulakova (USSR; 3, 0, 0); A. Schenk (Netherlands; 3, 0, 0); V. P. Vedenin (USSR; 2, 0, 1); M. T. Nadig (Switzerland; 2, 0, 0)	USSR (8, 5, 3); GDR (4, 3, 7); Switzerland (4, 3, 3); Netherlands (4, 3, 2); USA (3, 2, 3)
XII Olympic Winter Games. Innsbruck, 4.2–15.2.1976. Bergisel (up to 28 thousand seats). Snowman Olympiamandle	37; 1123 (231); 37 at 6	T. B. Averina (USSR; 2, 0, 2); R. Mittermeier (Germany; 2, 1, 0); N. K. Kruglov (USSR; 2, 0, 0); B. Germeshausen and M. Nemer (both - GDR; 2, 0, 0 each)	USSR (13, 6, 8); GDR (7, 5, 7); USA (3, 3, 4); Norway (3, 3, 1); Germany (2, 5, 3)
XIII Olympic Winter Games. Lake Placid, 13.2–24.2.1980. "Lake Placid Equestrian Stadium" ("Lake Placid Equestrian Stadium"; hippodrome; 30 thousand seats). Raccoon Roni	37; 1072 (232); 38 to 6	E. Hayden (USA; 5, 0, 0); N. S. Zimyatov (USSR; 3, 0, 0); H. Wenzel (Liechtenstein; 2, 1, 0); A. N. Alyabiev (USSR; 2, 0, 1)	USSR (10, 6, 6); GDR (9, 7, 7); USA (6, 4, 2); Austria (3, 2, 2); Sweden (3, 0, 1)
XIV Olympic Winter Games. Sarajevo, 8.2–19.2.1984. "Koševo" ("Koš evo"; 37.5 thousand seats). Wolf cub Vuchko	49; 1272(274); 39 at 6	M. L. Hämäläinen (Finland; 3, 0, 1); K. Enke (GDR; 2, 2, 0); G. Swan (Sweden; 2, 1, 1); G. Boucher (Canada; 2, 0, 1)	GDR (9, 9, 6); USSR (6, 10, 9); USA (4, 4, 0); Finland (4, 3, 6); Sweden (4, 2, 2)
XV Olympic Winter Games. Calgary, 13.2-28.2.1988. "McMahon" ("McMahon"; 35.6 thousand seats). White bear cubs Heidi and Howdy	57; 1423 (301); 46 to 6	I. van Gennip (Netherlands; 3, 0, 0); M. Nyukyanen (Finland; 3, 0, 0); T. I. Tikhonova (USSR; 2, 1, 0)	USSR (11, 9, 9); GDR (9, 10, 6); Switzerland (5, 5, 5); Finland (4, 1, 2); Sweden (4, 0, 2)
XVI Olympic Winter Games. Albertville, 8.2-23.2.1992. "Theatre de Seremonies" ("Thé atre des Cérémonies"; 35 thousand seats). Mountain Elf Magik	64; 1801 (488); 57 at 7	L. I. Egorova (OK**; 3, 2, 0); B. Delhi and V. Ulvang (both from Norway; 3, 1, 0 each); M. Kirchner and G. Niemann (both from Germany; 2, 1, 0 each)	Germany (10, 10, 6); OK** (9, 6, 8); Norway (9, 6, 5); Austria (6, 7, 8); USA (5, 4, 2)
XVII Olympic Winter Games. Lillehammer, 12.2–27.2.1994. "Lysgårdsbakken" ("Lysgå rdsbakken"; 40 thousand seats). Folk dolls Haakon and Kristin	67; 1737 (522); 61 to 6	L. I. Egorova (Russia; 3, 1, 0); J. O. Koss (Norway; 3, 0, 0); M. Di Centa (Italy; 2, 2, 1)	Russia (11, 8, 4); Norway (10, 11, 5); Germany (9, 7, 8); Italy (7, 5, 8); US (6, 5, 2)
XVIII Olympic Winter Games. Nagano, 7.2–22.2.1998. Olympic Stadium (30 thousand seats). Owls Sukki, Nokki, Lekke, Zukki	72; 2176 (787); 68 to 7	L. E. Lazutina (Russia; 3, 1, 1); B. Delhi (Norway; 3, 1, 0); O. V. Danilova (Russia; 2, 1, 0); K. Funaki (Japan; 2, 1, 0)	Germany (12, 9, 8); Norway (10, 10, 5); Russia (9, 6, 3); Canada (6, 5, 4); USA (6, 3, 4)
XIX Olympic Winter Games. Salt Lake City, 8.2–24.2.2002. "Rice-Eccles" ("Rice-Eccles"; 45 thousand seats). Powder Hare, Copper Coyote, Cole Bear	78; 2399 (886); 75 to 7	O. E. Bjoerndalen (Norway; 4, 0, 0); J. Kostelich (Croatia; 3, 1, 0); S. Lajunen (Finland; 3, 0, 0)	Norway (13, 5, 7); Germany (12, 16, 8); US (10, 13, 11); Canada (7, 3, 7); Russia (5, 4, 4)
XX Olympic Winter Games. Turin, February 10–February 26, 2006. Olympic Stadium (28 thousand seats). Neve Snowball and Plic Ice Cube	80; 2508 (960); 84 to 7	Ahn Hyun-soo (3, 0, 1) and Chin Sung Yoo (3, 0, 0; both Republic of Korea); M. Grice (Germany; 3, 0, 0); F. Gottwald (Austria; 2, 1, 0)	Germany (11, 12, 6); USA (9, 9, 7); Austria (9, 7, 7); Russia (8, 6, 8); Canada (7, 10, 7)
XXI Olympic Winter Games. Vancouver, February 12–February 28, 2010. "BC Place" ("BC Place"; approx. 60 thousand seats). Miga killer whale, Kuatchi sea bear, Sumi hawk	82; 2566 (1044); 86 to 7	M. Bjørgen (Norway; 3, 1, 1); Wang Meng (China; 3, 0, 0); P. Nortug (2, 1, 1) and E. H. Svendsen (2, 1, 0; both from Norway); M. Neuner (Germany; 2, 1.0)	Canada (14, 7, 5); Germany (10, 13, 7); US (9, 15, 13); Norway (9, 8, 6); Republic of Korea (6, 6, 2)
XXII Olympic Winter Games. Sochi, February 7–23, 2014. "Fisht" (40 thousand seats). White bear, Leopard, Bunny	88; 2780 (1120); 98 at 7	V. Ahn (Ahn Hyun-soo; Russia; 3, 0, 1); D. V. Domracheva (Belarus; 3, 0 , 0); M. Björgen (3, 0, 0); I. Wüst (Netherlands; 2, 3, 0); S. Kramer (Netherlands; 2, 1, 0); M. Fourcade (France; 2, 1, 0).	Russia (13, 11, 9); Norway (11, 5, 10); Canada (10, 10, 5); USA (9, 7, 12); Netherlands (8, 7, 9).

* United German team.

** United team of the countries of the former USSR.

Table 2. Athletes with the most victories at the Olympic Winter Games (Chamonix, 1924 - Sochi, 2014).

Athlete, a country	Kind of sport, years of participation	Medals
		golden	silver	bronze
O. E. Bjoerndalen, Norway	Biathlon, 1998–2014	8	4	1
B. Delhi, Norway	Ski race, 1992–1998	8	4	0
M. Björgen, Norway	Ski race, 2002–2014	6	3	1
L. I. Egorova, Russia	Ski race, 1992–1994	6	3	0
W. Ahn (Ahn Hyun-soo)*, Russia	short track, 2006, 2014	6	0	2
L. P. Skoblikova, USSR	Skating, 1960–1964	6	0	0
K. Pechstein, Germany	Skating, 1992–2006	5	2	2
L. E. Lazutina, Russia	Ski race, 1992–1998	5	1	1
K. Thunberg, Finland	Skating, 1924–1928	5	1	1
T. Alsgaard, Norway	Ski race, 1994–2002	5	1	0
B. Blair, USA	Skating, 1988–1994	5	0	1
E. Hayden, USA	Skating, 1980	5	0	0
R. P. Smetanina, USSR	Ski race, 1976–1992	4	5	1
S. Ernberg, Sweden	Ski race, 1956–1964	4	3	2
R. Gross, Germany	Biathlon, 1992–2006	4	3	1
I. Wust, Netherlands	Skating, 2006–2014	4	3	1
G. A. Kulakova, USSR	Ski race, 1972–1980	4	2	2
Ch. A. Omodt, Norway	Skiing, 1992–2006	4	2	2
S. Fisher, Germany	Biathlon, 1994–2006	4	2	2
I. Ballangrud, Norway	Skating, 1928–1936	4	2	1
I. Kostelich, Croatia	Skiing, 2002–2006	4	2	0
Wang Meng, China	short track, 2006–2010	4	1	1
G. Swann, Sweden	Ski race, 1984–1988	4	1	1
E. H. Svendsen, Norway	Biathlon, 2010–2014	4	1	0
E. R. Grishin, USSR	Skating, 1956–1964	4	1	0
J. O. Koss, Norway	Skating, 1992–1994	4	1	0
K. Kuske, Germany	Bobsled, 2002–2010	4	1	0
A. Lange, Germany	Bobsled, 2002–2010	4	1	0
M. Nyukyanen, Finland	Ski jumping, 1984–1988	4	1	0
N. S. Zimyatov, USSR	Ski race, 1980–1984	4	1	0
A. I. Tikhonov, USSR	Biathlon, 1968–1980	4	1	0
Jung Lee Kyung (Chung Lee Kyung) The Republic of Korea	short track, 1994–1998	4	0	1
S. Amman, Switzerland	Ski jumping, 2002–2010	4	0	0
T. Wassberg, Sweden	Ski race, 1980–1988	4	0	0

* In 2006 (Turin) he played for the national team of the Republic of Korea.

3 gold Olympic medals won at the Olympic Winter Games of St. 50 athletes (as of January 1, 2018), including representatives of Russia (including the USSR): K. S. Boyarskikh, E. V. Vyalbe, N. V. Gavrylyuk, V. S. Davydov, V. G. Kuzkin , A. P. Ragulin , A. A. Reztsova , I. K. Rodnina , V. A. Tretyak , A. V. Firsov , A. V. Khomutov , Yu. A. Chepalova

Table 3. Athletes who have competed at 6 or more Olympic Winter Games (as of 1.1.2018)

Athlete (year of birth), a country	Quantity	Kind of sport	Participation years	Medals
				golden	silver	bronze
A. M. Demchenko (b. 1971), Russia	7	luge	1992–2014	0	3	0
N. Kasai (b. 1972), Japan	7	Ski jumping	1992–2014	0	2	1
C. Coates (b. 1946), Australia	6	Skating	1968–1988	0	0	0
M. L. Kirvesniemi (b. 1955), Finland	6	Ski race	1976–1994	3	0	4
A. Eder (b. 1953), Austria	6	Biathlon	1976–1994	0	0	0
M. Dixon (b. 1962), UK	6	Cross-country skiing and biathlon	1984–2002	0	0	0
I. Britsis (b. 1970), Latvia	6	Biathlon	1992–2010	0	0	0
M. Büchel (b. 1971), Liechtenstein	6	Skiing	1992–2010	0	0	0
A. Veerpalu (b. 1971), Estonia	6	Ski race	1992–2010	2	1	0
A. Orlova (b. 1972), Latvia	6	luge	1992–2010	0	0	0
E. Radanova* (b. 1977), Bulgaria	6	Short trek; cycling	1994–2010; 2004	0	2	1
C. Hughes* (b. 1972), Canada	6	Cycling; skating	1996, 2000, 2012; 2002–2010	1	1	4
H. von Hohenlohe (b. 1959), Mexico	6	Skiing	1984–94, 2010, 2014	0	0	0
K. Pechstein (b. 1972), Germany	6	Skating	1992–2006, 2014	5	2	2
T. Selanne (b. 1970), Finland	6	Hockey	1992, 1998–2014	0	1	3
J. Ahonen (b. 1977), Finland	6	Ski jumping	1994–2014	0	2	0
O. E. Bjoerndalen (b. 1974), Norway	6	Biathlon	1994–2014	8	4	1
S. N. Dolidovich (b. 1973), Belarus	6	Ski race	1994–2014	0	0	0
T. Lodwick (b. 1976), USA	6	Nordic combined	1994–2014	0	1	0
Lee Kyu Hyuk (b. 1978), Republic of Korea	6	Skating	1994–2014	0	0	0
A. Zöggeler (b. 1974), Italy	6	luge	1994–2014	2	1	3
M. Stecher (b. 1977), Austria	6	Nordic combined	1994–2014	2	0	2
H. Wickenheiser* (b. 1978), Canada	6	Hockey; softball	1998–2014; 2000	4	1	0
R. Helminen (b. 1964), Finland	6	Hockey	1984–2002	0	1	2
E. Hunyadi (b. 1966), Hungary (1), Austria (5)	6	Skating	1984–2002	1	1	1
G. Weissensteiner (b. 1969)	6	Luge and bobsleigh	1988–2006	1	0	1
G. Hackl (b. 1966), Germany (1), Germany (5)	6	luge	1988–2006	3	2	0
W. Huber (b. 1970), Italy	6	luge	1988–2006	1	0	0
S. V. Chepikov (b. 1967), Russia	6	Biathlon, cross-country skiing	1988–2006	2	3	1
K. Neumanova* (b. 1973), Czechoslovakia, (1), Czech Republic (5)	6	Ski race; mountain bike	1992–2006; 1996	1	4	1

* The athlete also competed at the Olympic Games.

ended winter Olympics in Korean Pyeongchang. Finished brightly. Russian hockey players won gold. In the hardest final, in overtime, they beat the German team. The main moment for us and the day, and the entire Olympics - the winning goal of Kirill Kaprizov!

Six Olympiads in a row we were without gold in hockey. And finally, victory!

Hockey for us - national sport. And judging by the ratings, the whole country really watched this match. And in other sports, our athletes did everything they could and even more. Before the Olympics, almost all of our leaders were knocked out. Knocked out by an aggressive and tough campaign against Russian sports. But young athletes gave battle to the great masters.

Our figure skaters Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva, world stars, performed brilliantly. Amazing skiers - very young guys and girls, yesterday's juniors. Alexander Bolshunov took four medals. This is the first time in the history of both Russian and Soviet skiing.

It was a real final of the Olympic Games - "valid". Figure skater Alina Zagitova was not yet born when hockey player Ilya Kovalchuk participated in his first Olympics. One - 15, the other - 34. We did not win Olympic gold in hockey since 1992!

The Irony of Fate. Then in Albertville, ours, after the collapse of the USSR, were also forced to compete under the Olympic flag. And they were also a team without the name of the country on the chest. But everyone, like now, knew who it was. Western commentators still called our "Red Machine".

And here is the same "Red Car". Reboot! A game brought to overtime, in which our puck was half a second before the siren. And the moment when it seemed that everything ... And the fantastic goal of Kirill Kaprizov!

Clenching his fists and rising from the stress during the match from the commentator's chair, our famous "hockey professor" Igor Larionov seems to be rushing onto the ice. Who better than him, who won the Olympics, to understand what it is! Yes! Our hockey players became Olympic champions, not beating the Canadians in the final, only the Germans, but this is not our fault, but the Maple Leaves, who sensationally lost to Germany in the semifinals.

Ilya Kovalchuk dedicated this victory to his father.

“Many thanks to all the fans. We have a huge number of young guys for whom this is the first Olympics, and, fortunately, they have become Olympic champions,” says Ilya Kovalchuk.

“It doesn’t matter who scores with us, this has already been said many times. The whole team is simply handsome, everyone with a victory!” - congratulates Kirill Kaprizov.

“It's great what we all did today. This is of course the highest point. What we could do for the country today, at the moment. Thank you very much for your support, for your prayers, after all, as they said, God tested us, tested our character,” says Pavel Datsyuk.

At the awards ceremony was Vladislav Tretyak in a jacket with eight stars on his chest - according to the number of hockey victories of our country at the Olympics. It’s just right, as in the movie “Only Old Men Go to Battle”, to say: “Bring another paint to draw!”. Now we, like Canadians, are ninefold Olympic champions. And ours could not resist and sang a hymn, when not our flag was raised over the arena in honor of our victory. And then they sang it again, on the bus. When they left the happy stadium for them.

And what happened in the locker room, in which, according to the rules of the IOC, it was forbidden for us to hang flags. They put up posters. Motivational, as one of them said in the turmoil that took place there after the victory: “Forward and upward!” "Squeeze-finish!" Pressed. And in the full sense of the word, they were breaking away in the locker room.

All the words that Germany is not Canada and without the NHL this Olympics are not the Olympics from the evil one. What about the fact that short tracker Viktor An was not allowed into Pyeongchang? Just like that, without explanation. Leader! The main contender for medals in this sport. What's this? Does this also mean that the Olympics are “something different”? Tell that to the Koreans! And look how their commentators worried about their own. From the outside, you might think that they commented on football!

But in short track we managed to win a medal. Semyon Yelistratov was alone at the distance due to the cut-down team. No partner support. Koreans, Italians, all ran in pairs and helped each other.

And what about our skater Natasha Voronina, who was left without coaches, who were also not allowed? At a distance of 5000 meters, instead of a coach, our serviceman prompted her. That is, a person who sharpens skates. We were interviewing when she was immediately taken to a doping control. She managed to say thanks to Martina Sablikova from the Czech team, who, seeing that the girl was left alone, invited her to train with her.

And there was also a strange story with the curler Alexander Krushelnitsky. Only the lazy did not write about our couple at the Olympics. "James Bond and His Beauty", "Mr. and Mrs. Smith". And suddenly… meldonium. How loud in name, just as useless as a dope, and even in curling, the drug. IN exclusive interview To the first channel, the dumbfounded Alexander, along with his wife and teammate at the same time, was extremely frank.

Alexander Krushelnitsky: “The concentration in the sample indicates that the drug was taken once, that is, it is one tablet. And it could be anytime.

Anastasia Bryzgalova: Well, not at any time, but after the 22nd, because on the 22nd there was a clean sample. Accordingly, where could he come from? Unclear. Well, there are different options. But we absolutely know that we could not use meldonium there by accident, by mistake or something else. It’s elementary because we don’t even have any first aid kit with us and no pills at all.

Alexander Krushelnitsky: We have a version. We will voice it only in the course of the investigation, within the framework of the investigation.

Anastasia Bryzgalova: Naturally, the thought arises that in FIG all this is needed? Well, when the reputation of the team is at stake, and we know that we are honest and would never do anything like that on purpose. Of course we want to find the truth."

This interview seems to have made the members of the IOC think that the athlete does not lie. Alexander and Anastasia returned the medals. But the Curling Federation, together with the Investigative Committee, launched an investigation. So far, video is being taken from outdoor surveillance cameras in the places where athletes lived and trained in Japan, at the training camp before the Olympics and directly in Pyeongchang, Korea.

However, another case of doping was no less shocking. And here is the question. Why would Nadezhda Sergeeva, who has become only the twelfth bobsledder, take a prohibited drug called trimetazidine. By the way, banned by WADA several years ago, like meldonium, most likely not for medical reasons, but because it was often found in athletes from the countries of the former socialist camp.

The IOC makes little secret of the fact that these cases influenced the decision to ban our flag at the closing.

“The positive side is that there is a future. Everyone is ready to help Russia return to sports family. And this is very good. We must all come together and work for future prospects - to restore the rights of the Russian Olympic Committee as soon as possible," the President said. International Federation hockey player René Fasel.

How hot it was on the ice where our hockey players played. It's so cold here at the closing stadium of the Games. Where, to the sound of fireworks, Pyeongchang 2018 passed the baton to Beijing 2022. The next Games will be held in China.

The organizers of the Games did their best to show Korea from the best, high-tech side. Moreover, with a Korean bias. What are even the names of the parts of the ceremony's dance: "Light of Harmony", "Axis of New Time" and "Victory Night".

Even a record flock of drones appeared in the sky. More than two thousand little ones aircraft, glowing, lined up first in the figurine of a panda - a mascot next Games and then to the heart.

As for the “Olympic athletes from Russia” - this verbal construction, invented by the IOC, was even difficult to pronounce, they walked at the closing of the Games under the Olympic flag. Although, all the same, at these Games for us, there were the Russian team. A team that came to win.

Without leaders who were removed under far-fetched pretexts. No flag. Which, however, could not be banned. He was in every competition. Thanks to the fans!

Guys! You fought, it's a miracle! This is just a miracle! Thank you! The country rejoices! We are champions!

Just torn apart! Hooray!

And without coaches and technicians. Many for the first time. Mostly former juniors. It is now the president of the Ski Racing Federation, Elena Vyalbe, who speaks frankly - she did not believe in the success of her skiers. And they brought the country eight medals - three silver and five bronze! Only the Norwegians received more awards. The same Norwegians who brought six thousand doses of asthma medicine with them.

“Probably, of all men, of course, I am most pleased and surprised, in the good sense of the word, of course, this is Denis Spitsov. When he apologized for fourth place there, he said, now, I'm sorry that I have fourth place, I will try, that's all! Well, to be honest, you know, the spirit that the girls had at the Olympics this year is just ... And I kept saying: you should not be afraid, you should not be afraid! It is worth standing on a pedestal once, and you will feel this taste, as we say, the taste of blood, which you want to drink more and more, ”says Elena Vyalbe.

And they took bronze in the relay. Girls. With pigtails. And they took bronze in the relay. Girls. With pigtails. And the same Denis Spitsov, who apologized at the beginning of the Olympics for fourth place in the skiathlon, won bronze in the 15 km race. And he dedicated the medal to his father, who served in the police and died in 2009. Vyalba, entered in the record book as the best skier of the 20th century, knows how to set it up. Even on distance. After all, she was also not allowed to the Games. Why? She still doesn't know.

Vyalbe is on the podium watching the finish line. Shooting from the back. She shakes. She waves her hands. Call someone right away. Shows thumb. - Are the girls smart? - Super! Not smarties!

Every day she wound 60 kilometers to ski run from the hotel where you managed to get a room. The Russians who met us in Korea during the interview thanked her, who fought first in the IOC, then in the sports arbitration court, so that Legkov, Kryukov, Vylegzhanin and others were admitted to the Games. Failed. And she began to actually help juniors from the podium.

Marathon. 50 kilometers. Four years ago in Sochi, for the first time in history, ours occupied the entire pedestal. In Pyeongchang, we showed that we could repeat that success. If leaders came to the Games. But still silver and bronze. Alexander Bolshunov and Andrey Larkov. Ahead is only the Finn, who sat behind Bolshunov for the last kilometers, and then rushed off. On experience. Who can blame Sasha for missing gold?

Although, his father, Alexander Ivanovich, his first coach, sitting in front of the TV in Sasha's native village called Podyvote, scolds the skis, which, trying to save time on the distance, his son did not change the entire Olympic track to boot. And then proudly shows his ski track. He made it especially for Sasha when he was just starting to run, having cut a clearing in the forest with a tractor.

“I hook it to the UAZ and drove off, leveling it with a comb. If necessary, I put the load, and it turns out perfectly. No worse than world tracks,” says Alexander Bolshunov, father of the champion.

And Sasha Bolshunov stood modestly at the stadium in Pyeongchang. Where he, the silver medalist of the 50 km race, was awarded the medal right at the closing ceremony of the Games. As Andrei Larkov bronze. Bolshunov has four Olympic medals. Record. None of our sportsmen won so much in one Games. Never. Even during the Soviet era. Three silvers and a bronze.

And this is Tatyana Tarasova crying sobbing in figure skating. From happiness. Korean fans threw soft toys at our Zhenya Medvedev and Alina Zagitova after the performance. There was no doubt that one of them would win. They fought each other in front of the eyes of the whole world. But how! No mistakes. Everything is at the discretion of the judges. And Alina won only one point from Zhenya.

But between them and the third place of Canada's Caitlin Osmand is an abyss, by the standards figure skating- 7 points.

Alina Zagitova's neighbors in Izhevsk, far from Pyeongchang, who watched all the morning broadcasts with her performances, immediately hung a homemade poster on the porch: "The Olympic champion lives here."

But Zhenya Medvedeva told us how significant her two silver medals of these Games are.

Many of us supported here. Not without those, of course, who tried to prick, like a journalist from the German newspaper Bild, who hung a note on the door of our headquarters: "Meet me in Beijing ... Maybe."

Or the Americans, who said today that because of fear for the lives of their athletes, they will not come to us in Tyumen for the Biathlon World Cup. Who are they afraid of?

But there were also sober people. Here is Katarina Witt, the most famous figure skater, and now sports commentator the same German TV channel ARD, with films about doping which began the whole story of pressure on our country.

“Of course, I know how this whole situation literally breaks the hearts of Russians when Russian athletes go in white uniforms under neutral flag. But they were never neutral! Everyone knows who they are, everyone knows where they came from, and I know that for Russians their country is their mother. How can you disown your mother? It is simply not possible,” says Katarina Witt.

For these 17 Olympic days we saw both tears of joy and bitterness of defeat. And loyal fans, despite any prohibitions, supporting ours. We also saw the team. A team with a capital letter. Renewed and always fought to the end!