On August 3, the day marking the 40th anniversary of the closing ceremony of the Games of the XXII Olympiad held in 1980, an Olympic Breakfast was held in the Russian capital. The solemn event was organized by the Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation in conjunction with the Russian Olympic Committee and the State Museum of Sport.
The meeting took place in the Awards Hall of the Ministry of Sport on Kazakov Street in the format of a friendly conversation over a cup of tea. Champions, prize-winners and participants of the 1980 Summer Olympics were present, including famous athletes such as Galina Gorokhova, Larisa Latynina, Tatyana Ovechkina, Nelly Feryabnikova, Vladimir Kondra and many others, sharing their memories and emotions associated with the XXII Olympiad held 40 years ago.
– During the 1980 Summer Olympics I was seven years old. Back then the whole country followed this landmark event, and the path to various sports clubs was open. I can definitely say that thanks to you, I first got into swimming, and then two years later – into fencing. And since then I have remained in sport all my life, – said Stanislav Pozdnyakov, President of the ROC, four-time Olympic champion, in his speech to the Olympic heroes. – I would like to thank you for what you have done for our country, the development of sport and Olympism. You have created a wonderful legacy that is enjoyed by many generations. Unfortunately, the pandemic did not allow us to hold colorful, large-scale celebrations as we had planned. Therefore, I invite everyone to regain their strengths and keep their health, so that in 10 years’ time, we can all celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
Sports veterans were warmly congratulated by the Minister of Sport Oleg Matytsin and the Honorary President of the ROC Vitaly Smirnov. In addition, students of Olympic reserve schools from all over the country, who participated in the Olympic Breakfast event by conference call, expressed words of gratitude to the famous athletes.
At the end of the event, the premiere screening of the documentary “1980 Summer Olympics. Defying the Impossible” took place, created by Match TV. Following the results of today’s meeting, there are plans to release a special film.
