Olympic Patrol in St. Petersburg

The All-Russian sports and educational project of the ROC known as Olympic Patrol, already held in five cities across the country over the past month, took place in St. Petersburg.

The project, which is part of the Olympic Country programme for mass sports, was launched in 2014 and was hosted by St. Petersburg for the third time. Students learnt about Olympic values and in 2014 and 2016, they got to meet three-time Olympic champion in athletics Tatyana Kazankina, gold medalist in basketball at the 1980 Olympics Lyudmila Muravyova, world champion in curling Peter Dron, as well as the famous biathlete and two-time Olympic champion Dmitry Vasilyev.

This time, the guest athlete of the Olympic Patrol project was Elena Shalamova, gold medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics, two-time world champion, winner of the European Championship, and winner of the World Cup and Grand Prix in rhythmic gymnastics. By the way, Elena Shalamova regularly meets with students from different corners of Russia and conducts training lessons, as well as master classes. However, participating in the Olympic Patrol project was a very special event for the athlete.

– I want to say a big thank you to the organizers of this global sports project bringing the development of sport to children’s hearts, – said Elena Shalamova. – I am very pleased to be a participant and it is joyful to see the intense interest in the eyes of students and share my knowledge of the Olympic movement. Thank you to the ROC and the Olympic Patrol team! Keep up the good work and give the younger generation hope for great sports victories!

The champion held an “Olympic lesson” for children at school No. 466, located in the resort area of St. Petersburg. Elena Shalamova spoke about her sports career and victories, revealed the secrets of training, and answered questions. For example, one question was on how to combine sport and studies. Students also learnt a lot about the Olympic movement, the history of the Olympic Games and their relevance in today’s world. Students were happy to receive autographs and take photos.

The Olympic Patrol programme, of course, was not limited to one lesson with Elena Shalamova. The programme also had its own competitions where it was necessary, like real athletes, to be faster, higher, stronger, and also smarter. In the traditional six-round Olympic Quiz, students answered questions about the upcoming Games, the history of the Olympic movement and its main values: friendship, respect, commitment to excellence and fair play.

Afterwards, it was time for the quest game “Olympic Hopes”. The young athletes were divided into teams and tried out different sports – disciplines included into the Olympic programme and disciplines that are set to appear for the first time – such as curling, athletics, fencing, basketball, shooting, golf and surfing. Perhaps for some students these amusements will become the first steps on the way to Olympic victories. And maybe one day, being famous athletes, they will talk to a younger generation about their hard-earned sports victories.