arcelona Olympics 1992 champions, medalists honored at Belarus NOC
MINSK, 25 July (BelTA) - The National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Belarus honored the champions and medalists of the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics on 25 July, BelTA has learned.
President of the NOC of Belarus Viktor Lukashenko said that he was glad to meet with the true legends of the Belarusian sport. “You have come to the NOC headquarters not as guests but as full-fledged hosts. It is largely thanks to your achievements that Belarusian sport continues to develop and the current generation of Olympians looks up to you,” said Viktor Lukashenko.
Recalling the games in Barcelona, Olympic champion Dmitry Dovgalenok noted their cordial atmosphere: “All the athletes were one family, warmly communicating with each other.” The Spaniards created the most comfortable conditions for the guests, and the athletes had only to show their best results, Dmitry Dovgalenok said remembering the Olympic village. His partner in the gold medal race Aleksandr Maseikov complained that the Belarusian athletes are now in difficult conditions due to the recent events. However, there was something similar in 1980 and 1984. Then, politics interfered with the sport, which negatively affected the Olympic movement. Nevertheless, according to the Olympic champion, everything will pass and the world Olympic family will be united again. In the meantime, there is time to stop for a while, to think about further plans and to prepare well for future competitions.
Konstantin Lukashik said that he has not thought about his Olympic gold a lot over the past 30 years: “More often my friends have recalled it, which is very nice. It is also nice that the NOC always takes care of Olympic athletes. It really means a lot.”
After the collapse of the USSR, the Unified Team of the 25th Olympic Games in Barcelona included representatives of post-Soviet countries. There were 54 Belarusian athletes among them, who won 13 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze medals. One of the brightest stars of the 1992 Games was Belarusian gymnast Vitaly Scherbo, who won six Olympic gold medals. Apart from him, the podium was also graced by canoe sprint athletes Dmitry Dovgalenok and Aleksandr Maseikov, weightlifter Aleksandr Kurlovich, shooter Konstantin Lukashik, swimmer Yelena Rudkovskaya, gymnast Svetlana Boginskaya, basketball players Irina Sumnikova and Elena Shvaibovich, handball players Andrey Barbashinsky, Mikhail Yakhimovich and Andrey Minevsky. The opening ceremony of the Games in Barcelona was held on 25 July, and the closing ceremony - on 9 August 1992.
Athletes of the United Team performed at only two Olympics – the summer edition in Barcelona and the winter one in French Albertville.
Photos by Oksana Manchuk
