MOSCOW, RUSSIA – MARCH 29. 2018: The 2017 Silver Doe awards, a ceremony held by the Russian Federation of Sports Journalists for Russian athletes and coaches who have distinguished themselves in 2017, took place at the Russian Olympic Committee headquarters.
Top of the the Russian Sports Journalists’ Federation names Silver Doe poll are Dina Averina (Gymnastics), Alina Zagitova (Figure Skating), Svetlana Kolesnichenko (Synchronized Swimming), Maria Lasitskene (Athletics), Alexander Lesun (Pentathlon), Evgenia Medvedeva (Figure Skating), Evgeniy Rylov (Swimming), Sergey Semochkin (Paralympic Cycling), Sergey Ustyugov (Skiing), Alexey Shved (Basketball). Coach of the year – Yuri Semin (Lokomotiv, Moscow), Team of the year – Spartak Moscow.
President of the Russian Sports Journalists’ Federation, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Rossiyskaya Gazeta Nikolai Dolgopolov noted that ‘it has become a good tradition to award prizes at the Russian Olympic Committee headquarters.’
Konstantin Vybornov, Press Secretary of the ROC, wished the attendees good continuation of the Olympic year on behalf of the President of the ROC Alexander Zhukov.
– Silver DOE is a unique award, which gathers outstanding athletes, excellent coaches, heads of sports federations, representatives of the creative intelligentsia, heads of press services, television and print media in one place. Such community symbolizes the unity. The unity of all parts of the sports community, which allows them to make the country a great success, said Vybornov.
The ceremony began with granting award to the head coach of the Moscow Locomotive Yuri Semin.
– The owners of the Silver DOE award are known in the whole world. For me this award is very important, because it is bestowed by professionals, Semin admitted. – The journalists are people who know football, follow us, criticize and sometimes praise us. This prize is also for the players. Without them, I wouldn’t be on this stage right now.
People’s artist of Russia and a longtime fan of Lokomotiv Valery Barinov congratulated his friend with a poem.
Before announcing the name of the winner in the next nomination, the host of the ceremony, member of the Executive Committee of the Russian Federation of Sports Journalists, TV commentator and radio journalist Maxim Demkov noticed that for the first time in history of Silver Doe award a football club, and not a national team, was chosen as the best team.
After a few seconds, congratulations were received by the head of the FC Spartak Vasily Kozlovtsev and press attaché of the club Leonid Trakhtenberg.
In the absence of figure skaters Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva, who are now in Japan, the prize was given to their coach Eteri Tutberidze.
– Thank you for believing in us. I am very glad, that we managed to present such a beautiful and romantic struggle on the ice. Probably, many watched it with tears in their eyes. This Olympic Games will be remembered for the whole life, Tutberidze declared.
Foreign journalists took part in the voting for the first time. The President of the International Sports Press Association, Italian Gianni Merlo, selected the two-time world champion in the High Jump Maria Lasitskene.
– Sports journalists are the first discover the news and know more than many. Thanks for your hard work, the athlete told from a stage.
For Paralympic Sergey Semochkin the award was received by the Secretary General of the Paralympic Committee of Russia Andrey Strokin and the head coach of the national team of Russian Cycling for persons from POD Ekaterina Mukhortova.
The Sports Development Fund, which main objective is to develop mass and professional sports, as well as to promote a healthy lifestyle and increase the role of physical culture and sports among the population, has established a special prize in the nomination New Olympic Hopes. It was received by the member of the Russian Skateboarding team Ekaterina Shengeliya. Recall that this sport will debut at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.
In addition, as part of the ceremony special prizes were awarded to journalists – anniversary celebrants Rostislav Orlov (80 years), Igor Fein (70 years) and Nikolay Zuev (65 years).
