Paralympic Games. Paralympics: in a healthy body, a blind spirit Excessive physical contact of one player with another

"The war for a ticket to the national team is not for life, but for death."

Irina Bobrova

My interlocutor, Alexei Shipilov, is the head coach of the Moscow Region goalball team. Goalball - sports game for the blind. The essence of the game - a team of three people must throw the ball with a built-in bell into the opponent's goal. Shipilov could probably represent his goalball athletes at the Paralympics. But he is not even close to being allowed to the prestigious competitions. Why?

The same athletes have been sent to the Paralympics for many years. The same coaches have been involved in national teams for years. There is no place for strangers at the sports festival, - says Alexey. - For example, there is one person who is the coach of six national teams. This is nonsense. He is the head coach of the men's and women's goalball teams, and also heads the men's and women's team according to torball - varieties of goalball. In addition, he also coaches the Russian football team for the blind. Among other things, this man is the world football champion among the visually impaired. Performs in class b2.

- Class b2 - what is it?

A person performing in this category sees up to 6 percent. An athlete with such vision is not considered totally blind. Such vision is called - "with the remainder."

- What does such an athlete see?

He can only make out silhouettes. At a distance of one and a half to two meters, he is not even able to see the face of the interlocutor. Can't read the twentieth font on a computer screen, even at close range. But nevertheless, among our athletes in the b2 category, there are those who drive easily. The same coach in six disciplines feels great behind the wheel ...

- As far as I understand, fraud in wheelchair sports has existed for a long time?

This appeared when decent prize money began to be paid for medals. This situation is typical not only for Russia. Ukraine does not disdain similar scams. Their athletes are paid decent prize money, and the financial conditions in the country are much worse than ours. Therefore, it is much more important for a healthy person to get to the Paralympics there: one must think that for a ticket to the Paralympic team there is a war of life and death.

- How are things in other countries?

There are no prize money in other countries. Therefore, it makes no sense for a healthy person to pretend to be disabled. For what? And when our pseudo-Paralympic athletes come to the international start, the classifier doctors who allow athletes to the games cannot think that a healthy person will impersonate a disabled person.

- Do they require medical certificates from athletes before the start of the games?

Nobody shows the help.

- Doctors-classifiers check vision?

Understand that there are many different diagnoses in terms of vision. This is an area where even good specialist sometimes it is difficult to determine whether a person sees or not. An athlete may have an external defect of the eye itself, or there may be a defect at the level of nerve conduction - the eye itself looks absolutely healthy. The latter often occurs as a result of injury - the conduction of the optic nerve to the brain is disrupted. And with an absolutely healthy eye, a person “at the exit” will not have vision at all. The doctor cannot quickly determine these subtleties. Doctors at competitions only state the fact - whether there is a diagnosis or not. But even in the absence of a diagnosis, there can be many reasons why a person will not see. Athletes come to the Paralympic Games with diagnoses prescribed by Russian doctors.

- Is it even easier to pretend to be deaf?

It's harder there. The deaf are checked on special equipment, which does not depend on the person. An audiogram is made that shows whether sound is coming in or not.

In Europe, there are devices with which you can figure out a deceiver and by sight. Before the Paralympic Games in Vancouver, our strongest skier was filmed in this way. There, just to check the vision, a French doctor was applied unique technique. There were flickers in front of the eye, and a sensor was fixed on the athlete’s head, which read whether the pupil perceives information or not. With a flash, the pupil changed, there were fluctuations. After that check, our skier, who was considered the favorite in the relay, was removed. The reason was not stated. They said, "I didn't qualify." But this is an isolated case. No more such checks were made.

- It turns out that now athletes are tested only for doping?

Certainly. But it seems to me that the situation with doping of our Paralympic athletes is far-fetched. Paralympic athletes don't have to dope. This is not a sport highest achievements. Besides, what's the point for a healthy person who replaces a disabled person to take doping if he is physically stronger than a blind person anyway?..

- Poor vision significantly affects physical fitness?

In order to more or less prepare a blind athlete for competitions, we need to train with early childhood, from 7–8 years. Coordination of movements can be developed in a blind person if such a task is set. But in our country there are no opportunities to bring up a goalball team from scratch.

During the game, goalball players pull dark blindfolds over their eyes. It turns out that the chances of the blind and the sighted on the court are equalized?

In any case, coordination and orientation in space are better in the sighted, even if they cover their eyes with a bandage. Moreover, healthy athletes receive a salary for cheating, they have the motivation to learn how to run in complete darkness. By the way, sighted people also train in bandages. A healthy athlete only needs a couple of months to learn how to navigate in the dark. But in swimming and athletics there are no bandages. Although about athletics I can’t say anything, there are worthy coaches. In swimming, this problem has been standing for a very long time.

- What is the percentage of healthy people at the Paralympics?

It is hard to say. Some names we know, some we don't. There are also new people. This year, the composition of the national team was kept secret until the last. As a coach, I couldn't get it either.

- Do you think the members of the IOC are aware of these machinations?

I think it's known. And when our Paralympic athletes were suspended from the Games in Brazil, this moment was also discussed for sure.

- Why is this problem silent?

The IOC does not know how to deal with this. The situation is hopeless also because the entire leadership of the Blind Sports Federation is aware of what is happening, but does nothing. I can responsibly declare that the president of the federation, Lidia Abramova, was informed by me, and not only that we have many figureheads among the disabled. But things are still there.

If all pseudo-disabled people were removed from the Russian team, would we not win so many medals at the Paralympics, would we not break into the lead?

Our real disabled will definitely never receive such a number of medals.

It is strange that the same figureheads from year to year become participants in the Games. Is there no age limit for the Paralympics?

There is an age limit. And some falsely disabled people after some time are replaced by others. But those who have been performing for a long time will fight to the last. Do you have any idea what kind of money we are talking about? Paralympic athletes receive the same prize money as regular Olympians. For the "gold" they are paid 4 million rubles, for the second place - 2.5 million, for the "bronze" they receive more than a million. "Above" athletes are paid extra regional prize money. Muscovites receive another 4 million for "gold", the administration of the Moscow Region allocates apartments to its own. Plus, they give them cars ...

Why do people with disabilities, such as the blind, need a car?

Apparently, it is assumed that someone will carry them. But some people are good at driving themselves. When a swimmer, Paralympic champion Alexander Nevolin-Svetov, a visually impaired person of the first group, got into an accident, even a doctor who made false diagnoses to the athlete was held accountable. But nevertheless, Nevolin-Svetov is again in the composition of our team. World Blind Football Champion and Russian Champion Ilkam Nabiev is also visually impaired and played football in the b2 category. However, he calmly drives a car, drives to meetings. Or Oksana Savchenko, also a Paralympic champion, was seen driving a car… The situation is so unpunished that people even stopped being ashamed and hiding anything.

- Have you tried to get into the national team with your athletes?

I can assume that there are corruption schemes in the national team. After all, coaches also receive prize money, so only their own get to the Paralympics. Who is in the circle. Perhaps, at the end of the competition, everyone shares with whomever they need. I don't belong in this company.

- Are there total blind people in the Russian team?

Their minimum number. I know a total athlete, judoka Victoria Potapova, who miraculously got into the national team. I think it was turned on to cover up. Basically everything Russian athletes go through category b2. Although other countries, without exception, bring totally blind children to the Games. And do you know why? Because their totals are competitive. For example, the Turkish goalball team, where most of the athletes are total players, became European champions. Abroad, they deal with such disabled people from childhood. We don't need disabled people. The Ministry of Sports allocates crazy money for fees only to a certain circle of people. And ordinary disabled people cannot find funds to pay for a trip to the Russian Championship. Nobody needs the blind in the regions.

- Have you tried to fight it?

I tried to expose a coach who has been deceiving people both domestically and internationally for 10 years. Reported the information to the President of the Federation of the Blind. No measures were taken against the coach, but punitive sanctions began against me. As a result, they want to remove me from coaching and threaten to cancel my applications for participation in the championships of Russia.

You say that in Europe this is unimaginable. But a few years ago, the entire Spanish team was suspended from the Games, where supposedly mentally retarded people took part. In fact, it turned out that there were no disabled people in the team.

I remember. Then there was a big scandal with the Spaniards, after which disabled people with a diagnosis of "mental retardation" were generally excluded from the Paralympics program. Only in Last year they seem to have again decided to admit to the Games. But these are isolated cases.

- Be that as it may, are there enough real disabled people in our team?

Certainly. We have a lot of worthy supporters, wheelchair users. But the majority of honest visually impaired people who trained and wanted to participate in the Paralympics ended up in flight.

- Really our sighted athletes who pretend to be blind have never been pierced?

They don't seem to care. When there has been complete impunity for so many years, everyone is aware of what is happening, the leadership is covering up fraud, what kind of fear can we talk about? At the Paralympics itself, these guys behave competently - they go everywhere with escorts.

- Can the current system be defeated?

The only thing that can break this system is a big international scandal. I don't see any other way.

The reverse side of the Paralympic medal.

Following the success of the London Olympics, the opening of the Paralympic Games is also accompanied by unprecedented enthusiasm. But what is the difference between these two large-scale competitions?

without olympic rings

Instead of the Olympic rings - "agito"

The iconic five connected rings have no place at the Paralympics. They are replaced by "agito" - three curls: red, green and blue, symbolizing the motto of the Paralympians "Spirit in motion". Agito means "I move" in Latin.

New emblem, which was intended to emphasize the idea of ​​competitive spirit among Paralympic athletes, appeared in 2003.

Since 1996, the anthem of the Paralympic Games has been a composition by Thierry Darnis called "Anthem of the Future".

IOC and IPC - different authorities

The hosts of the competitions are the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) - different authorities.

The first Paralympic Games were held in Rome, a week after the 1960 Summer Olympics were held there. Four years later, the Paralympics were held in Tokyo, also immediately after the end of the Olympic Games.

British team at the 1964 Tokyo Paralympics

However, in 1968, Mexico City, which hosted the Olympics, categorically refused to host Paralympic competitions. Instead, they were held in Tel Aviv, and for 20 years the Paralympics and the Olympics were held in completely different cities.

In 1988, Seoul, which hosted the Summer Games, also hosted the Paralympics. After that, they again began to pass simultaneously. In 2001, all the formalities were settled, and now the city submitting the Olympic application must proceed from the fact that, if it wins, it will also need to accept competitions for people with disabilities.

Classification

Athletes of approximately equal ability compete

Sports can only be competitive if athletes of roughly equal ability compete. At the Paralympics, a blind runner is unlikely to compete with a paralyzed one, but an athlete with cerebral palsy can compete, for example, with a dwarf, although, at first glance, this does not fit very well.

Athletes undergo a special medical examination to determine the category of disability.

In Paralympic swimming, for example, there are 14 categories. The first ten refer to people with physical disabilities, from people with amputated legs or arms to people with spinal cord injuries and dwarfs. The 11th, 12th and 13th categories are reserved for the blind, and the 14th for the mentally retarded.

Athletes can belong to different categories, depending on the type of swimming. For example, a Category 9 freestyle athlete may be classified as a Category 10 butterfly, as backstroke can be more difficult for people with certain disabilities.

The classification also depends on whether the athlete can jump into the pool or must start the race already in the water.

The classification of athletes sometimes causes controversy. According to Paralympic champion Baroness Tunni Gray-Thompson, some athletes are trying to change their category.

"When it's done on purpose, it's tantamount to doping, but there are people who can fall into two different categories," says Gray-Thompson.

Football players in the field playing with blindfolds

Most of the events in the Paralympic program are similar to those competed in at the Olympic Games.

Swimming, cycling and Athletics are held in much the same way as at the Olympics, however they are divided into different categories, and athletes use wheelchairs and prostheses. They may have helpers.

Blind football and seated volleyball bear little resemblance to their Olympic equivalents. The ball in football for the blind is less resilient, and there are ball bearings inside the ball so that blind athletes can hear where the ball is flying.

Blind matches are played by teams of five. They do not play on the grass, but on a hard surface. The field surrounded by shields is smaller than a regular football field.

The backboards not only prevent the ball from flying out of the field, but also reflect the sounds of both the ball itself and the running players, which allows them to better navigate the field.

Since the players may be blind or partially sighted, they all have blindfolds on to create a level playing field. The goalkeeper is sighted, but he is not allowed to leave the goal. The game also involves a "guide", who, standing outside the gate, suggests in which direction the gate is.

The players themselves give each other certain tips. For example, "howl" - which in Spanish means "I'm coming", "I'm here" - on the field means that one of the players will now try to take the ball from the other.

Since the players depend on such shouts, the fans in the stands must sit silently.

Purely Paralympic sports

Boccia is a sport only played by Paralympic athletes.

There are two sports that compete exclusively at the Paralympic Games - goalball and boccia.

Goalball is played by two teams of three blind and half-blind people. The game takes place on a rectangular field with markings.

The object of the game is to throw heavy ball, inside which there are bells, into the net of the opponent's goal. The defenders protect the gate with their own bodies.

Boccia is played by people of the most severe degree of disability. The game is somewhat similar to curling. Athletes must roll, throw or push the ball as close to the target as possible.

Initially, the sport was invented for people suffering from cerebral palsy, but over time, people with various diseases of the sensory-motor function joined it.

Boccia is divided into four categories. The third category includes people who are not able to push the ball themselves. For them, at one end of the field, a special inclined plane is installed, along which they lower their balls towards the goal.

All Olympic venues have been modified for the Paralympics

Olympic Village was converted to Paralympic in five days.

Wheelchair spaces have been increased at stadiums and other Olympic venues. There are now 568 at the main stadium. Blind fans are given audio guides, and deaf fans have seats in front of large screens.

London 2012 Integration Director Chris Holmes says toilets, bathrooms, sidewalks and signage have been designed with Paralympians in mind from the start.

Assistant tapers

Assistant tapers are on duty at the sides of the pool

Blind swimmers are assisted by so-called tapers. At each end of the pool stands a man with a long pole, like a fishing rod, with a soft ball at the end. When the swimmer approaches the rail, the pianist touches it with the ball to warn the athlete.

"We're letting the swimmers know they're approaching the edge, two to four meters from the end of the pool," says Marcelo Sugimori, one of the two tapers for the Brazilian Paralympic team.

Sugimori worked as a pianist for his sister, who won gold medal in the 50m freestyle at the 2004 Athens Paralympics.

Guides for runners

Blind runners on the track are accompanied by a guide

Blind and partially blind runners can use the services of guides. A sighted guide, tied to the Paralympian's arm with a rope, runs with him and serves as the "eyes" of the athlete.

In the words of British Paralympic athlete Libby Clegg, "It's like running in pairs, but you're not tied by the leg, but by the arm." Clegg runs the 100 meters in 12.41 seconds.

Throughout the distance, the guide guide tells the athlete where they are on the treadmill, when to turn, and when to slow down or speed up. Each of them runs on his own path.

Completely blind athletes always run with a guide. The partially blind decide for themselves whether they need a guide or not. Most women athletes choose men as guides, as the guide must be able to run faster than the runners themselves.

At the same time, guides are prohibited from crossing the finish line before the athlete, for which the Paralympic athlete is threatened with disqualification.

Age

Paralympic spectators may notice that many Paralympic champions are much older than Olympic winners.

During the last Wimbledon tennis tournament many have wondered how long the Swiss Roger Federer, now 30 years old, will be able to play at such a high level. British tennis champion wheelchairs Peter Norfolk is 51 years old and has won gold at the Paralympics in Athens and Beijing.

Yes, 71-year-old rider from Japan Hiroshi Hoketsu took part in the London Olympics, and 39-year-old gymnast Yordan Yovchev from Bulgaria finished seventh in the rings. However, there are more older athletes among Paralympic athletes.

British blind football team captain David Clarke is 41 years old. Boccia team captain Nigel Murray is 48. British archery competitor Kate Murray is 63 years old.

Russian Press Paralympics champion in discus throw and shot put Alexei Ashapatov turns 39 in October, but he intends to travel to Rio for the 2016 Games.

Many Paralympic athletes entered the sport as part of medical rehabilitation after becoming disabled. There are many veterans of the war in Afghanistan and other conflicts among the participants of the Games.

There are not so many potential Paralympic athletes, because many disabled people simply do not have the opportunity to play sports - due to the lack of stadiums adapted for training, for example, or low self-esteem. Many people with disabilities do not even think about playing sports.

There are also young athletes in the British Paralympic team. Wheelchair fencer Gaby Down is 14, volleyball player Julie Rogers is 13, and swimmers Chloe Davis and Amy Marren are 13 and 14, respectively.

doping control

The list of prohibited drugs is the same for Paralympians and Olympians. Any athlete requiring medication must request a special authorization, which will be reviewed by the medical committee.

Director of the British Anti-Doping Agency Nicole Sapstead says not all Paralympic athletes take prescription drugs.

"Of course, athletes with back injuries need painkillers, but in general it's like the Olympics - mostly asthma and diabetes," says Sapstead.

Recently I wrote about the history of the Paralympic Games, and now I have collected a few interesting facts regarding this event. I hope you find it interesting and useful.

1. Fire relay
The Olympic flame is traditionally lit in Greek Olympia, and then the relay race begins, during which the flame is delivered to the capital city of the Olympic Games. The traditions of the Paralympic Flame are slightly different: the route does not start from Olympia, but from any city, at the discretion of the organizers of the Games. The path of fire to the capital of the Olympics is shorter. Thus, the 2014 Paralympic Torch Relay lasted 10 days, from February 26 to March 7, at which time 1,699 citizens of Russia and foreign countries, including more than 35% of people with disabilities, carried the torch, and 4,000 volunteers also participated in the relay. The fire was carried through 46 cities in different regions of Russia. And besides, for the first time, one of the stages of the Paralympic torch relay took place in the British city of Stoke Mandeville in the county of Buckinghamshire - in the very city in which the Stoke Mandeville Games, the prototype of the Paralympic Games, were first held. Starting this year, the Paralympic Flame will always "set" in Stoke Mandeville.

2. Format expansion
Initially, only wheelchair users took part in the Stoke Mandeville Games. The first Games in 1948 were called the Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Games and were attended by British war veterans. In 1952, Dutch athletes came to the Games, and the status of the competition changed to international. In 1976, not only wheelchair users, but also athletes with other categories of disabilities participated in the Winter Paralympic Games in Ernskoldsvik (Sweden), Summer Games-1976 in Toronto already participated 1600 athletes from 40 countries: blind and visually impaired, paraplegics, athletes with amputated limbs, with spinal cord injuries and other types of physical disorders.

3. Consolidation
At first, the Olympics and Paralympics were held in different cities. They built their sports objects for every game. For example, in 1988 Winter Olympics was held in Calgary (Canada), and the Paralympic Games - in Innsbruck (Austria). But the summer and the Olympic and Paralympic Games-1988 were first held at the same venues. It was in Seoul (Republic of Korea). The agreement that the Paralympic Games take place in the same year, in the same country and at the same venues as the Olympic Games was signed by the IOC and the IPC in 2001, and it has only been officially applied since the summer of 2012, although in practice it is was before.

4. Biathlon with features
Paralympic athletes compete in 20 summer disciplines and five winter disciplines - alpine skiing, sledge hockey, ski race, biathlon and wheelchair curling. There are practically no fundamental differences in the rules of the games for Paralympic athletes, but, of course, there are some specific features…
So, for example, in Paralympic biathlon, the distance to the target is reduced - 10 meters instead of 50 in traditional biathlon. At the same time, visually impaired athletes shoot from special rifles with an optronic system (electro-acoustic glasses), which is triggered during aiming. The closer the sight is to the center of the target, the louder the sound signal is heard by the athlete, and he is guided by it in order to make an accurate shot.

5. "Guides"
Visually impaired or blind biathletes and skiers do not perform alone: ​​they are accompanied on the track by a guide or “guide”, who shows the way, gives hints about the features of the track (turns, ascents, descents). As a rule, a guide is also an athlete, only a sighted one. Commands can be transmitted using a microphone and a speaker attached to the belt of the guide accompanying the Paralympic athlete. Guides are considered part of the team, they receive medals together with Paralympic athletes, they rise together on the podium.

6 Wheelchair Curling
This sport appeared at the Paralympic Games quite recently, for the first time competitions were held in 2006, during the Games in Turin. The features are as follows: firstly, the teams are not divided into male and female, each team has representatives of the fair and the stronger sex at the same time. Secondly, there is no athlete who rubs the ice with a brush in front of the stone. Athletes move the stone with special sticks, which, with the help of a plastic tip, can cling to the handle of the stone. Finally, in wheelchair curling, there is another stone-throwing technique that is more complex. Paralympic curlers throw the stone either with their hands or with a device called an extender, which is attached to the handle of the stone.

7. Parasnowboard
Parasnowboarding, or adaptive snowboarding, is now actively developing all over the world. In Sochi, for the first time in the history of the Paralympic Games, we are seeing performances by parasnowboarders, they are held as part of the alpine skiing competition. Two sets of medals are played, and only in the category of standing athletes, although in general parasnowboarders compete in three categories - standing (STA), sitting (SIT) and visually impaired (VI) athletes. The International Paralympic Committee, by the way, has already stated that parasnowboarding is already on the next Winter Games in 2018 may be separated from the program skiing, and then competitions in it will be held as an independent sport.

8. Sport without borders
I never tire of repeating that the Paralympic competitions are spectacular just like the Olympic competitions, and emotionally they are much stronger. Athletes demonstrate an incredible will to win, to live... And the results of Paralympic athletes are often close to those of ordinary athletes! And history knows examples when Paralympic athletes competed at traditional Olympics and become winners! The first such example is an American athlete of German origin, gymnast George Eyser, who participated in the Games in the pre-Paralympic times - in 1904, when the Summer Olympics were held in St. Louis. The gymnast performed on an equal footing with everyone, despite the fact that instead of one leg he had a wooden prosthesis. Not only that - George won 6 medals (3 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze) in one day!!!
And in 2008, the South African swimmer Natalie du Toit took part in the Summer Olympics in Beijing. She remained disabled after a car accident in 2001, but three years later she competed at the Paralympic Games. In 2008, she competed with both Paralympic athletes and regular professional athletes, and in the second event she placed 16th out of 25 in the 10K open water swim. And at the 2008 Paralympics, Natalie du Toit won five gold medals.
There are no words. Amazing strong people.

9. Youth of soul and body
As you know, mostly young people participate in professional sports, and older Olympians are a rather rare phenomenon. But many Paralympic athletes are much older than those who participate in regular Olympics. There are objective reasons for this. People come to ordinary sports from childhood, but many become Paralympic athletes after they become disabled, as part of medical rehabilitation, after accidents, or participation in military conflicts ... Not all disabled people have the opportunity to play sports, and many are afraid to start, because it really requires incredible strength of character. I didn't find anything about age limits for Paralympic athletes. The main thing is the strength of the spirit.

10 Sledge Hockey
Sledge hockey is played by athletes with lower body disabilities, special sleds were created for the game, with two skids, and the puck can slip under them. Teams of six players (including the goalkeeper) each play three periods of 15 minutes each. Only they have not one stick, but two: one athlete pushes off, and the second is exactly the stick in order to drive the puck.
By the way, Russian sledge hockey players perform at the Paralympics for the first time and they do it just fine! So, on March 13, our Paralympic athletes more than convincingly

From the history of the Paralympic Games

Paralympics - Olympic Games disabled - in the world is considered almost the same outstanding event as the Olympics itself.

The emergence of sports in which disabled people can participate is associated with the name of the English neurosurgeon Ludwig Guttmann, who, overcoming age-old stereotypes in relation to people with physical disabilities, introduced sports into the process of rehabilitation of patients with injuries. spinal cord. He proved in practice that sport for people with physical disabilities creates conditions for successful life, restores mental balance, and allows you to return to a full life, regardless of physical disabilities.

During World War II, at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in English city Aylesbury Ludwig Guttman founded the Spinal Injury Treatment Center where the first wheelchair archery competitions were held. It happened on July 28, 1948 - a group of disabled people, which consisted of 16 paralyzed men and women, former military personnel, took up sports equipment for the first time in the history of sports.

In 1952, former Dutch military personnel joined the movement and founded the International Sports Federation for People with Musculoskeletal Disabilities.

In 1956, Ludwig Guttmann developed an athlete's charter, formed the foundations on which the sport of the disabled developed in the future.

In 1960, under the auspices of the World Federation of Military Personnel, an International Working Group was established to study the problems of sports for the disabled.

In 1960, the first International Competition for the Disabled was held in Rome. They were attended by 400 athletes with disabilities from 23 countries.

In 1964, the International Sports Organization for the Disabled was created, to which 16 countries joined.

In 1964, in Tokyo, competitions were held in 7 sports, and it was then that the flag was officially raised for the first time, the anthem was played and the official emblem of the games was made public. The red, blue and green hemispheres, which symbolize the mind, body, unbroken spirit, have become a graphic symbol of the world Paralympic movement.

In 1972, more than a thousand disabled people from 44 countries took part in the competition in Toronto. Only disabled athletes in wheelchairs participated, and since 1976 athletes with spinal injuries have been joined by athletes of other groups of injuries - visually impaired and people who have undergone amputation of limbs.

With each subsequent game, the number of participants increased, the geography of countries expanded, and the number of sports increased. And in 1982, a body appeared that contributed to the expansion of the Paralympic Games - the International Coordinating Committee of the World Organization for Sports for the Disabled. Ten years later, in 1992, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) became its successor. Now the International Paralympic Committee includes 162 countries.

The sport of the disabled has gained worldwide importance. The achievements of athletes with physical disabilities are amazing. Sometimes they came close to Olympic records. In fact, there is not a single sport left, from the famous and popular ones, in which disabled athletes did not take part. The number of Paralympic disciplines is steadily expanding.

In 1988, at the Seoul Games, disabled athletes received the right to access sports facilities host city of the Olympics. It was from that time that competitions began to be held in the same arenas in which healthy Olympians compete, regularly every four years, after the Olympic Games.

Paralympic sports
(According to the site http://www.paralympic.ru)

Archery. The first organized competitions were held in 1948 in England in the city of Mandeville. Today, the traditions of these games have been continued in regular competitions, in which wheelchair users also take part. Introduced women's and men's sports categories in this type of martial arts. The outstanding results achieved by athletes with disabilities in this sport indicate the significant potential of this kind of competition. The program of the International Paralympic Games includes singles, pairs and team competitions, with judging and scoring procedures identical to those used in the Olympic Games.

Athletics. The athletics program of the Paralympic Games includes the widest range of competitions. It entered the program of the International Paralympic Games in 1960. Athletes with a wide variety of health disorders take part in athletics competitions. There are competitions for wheelchair users, prosthetists, and the blind. Moreover, the latter act in conjunction with the leading one. As a rule, an athletics program includes a track, a throw, jumps, a pentathlon and a marathon. Athletes compete according to their functional classifications.

Cycling. This sport is one of the newest in the history of Paralympism. In the early eighties, for the first time, competitions were held in which athletes with visual impairments took part. However, as early as 1984, international games Paralyzed athletes and amputees also competed among the disabled. Until 1992, the Paralympic competitions in cycling were carried out for each of the listed groups separately. At the Paralympic Games in Barcelona, ​​cyclists of all three groups competed on a special track and also on the track. Competitions of cyclists can be both individual and group (a group of three cyclists from one country). Athletes with mental disabilities compete using standard racing bikes and, in some classes, tricycles. Athletes with visual impairments compete on tandem bikes paired with a visionary teammate. They also race on the track. Finally, amputees and cyclists with motor disabilities compete in individual competitions on specially prepared bicycles.

Dressage. Equestrian competitions are open to the paralyzed, amputee, blind and visually impaired, mentally retarded. This type of competition is held at the Summer Games. Equestrian competitions are held only in the individual class. Athletes demonstrate their skills in the passage of a short segment, in which the pace and direction of movement alternate. At the Paralympic Games, athletes are grouped according to a separate classification. Within these groups, the winners with the best results are determined.

Fencing. All athletes compete in wheelchairs that are fixed to the floor. However, these chairs leave fencers with considerable freedom of movement, and their actions are as fast-paced as in traditional competitions. The founder of wheelchair fencing is Sir Ludwig Guttmann, who formulated the concept of these sports in 1953. Fencing entered the program of the Paralympic Games in 1960. Since then, the rules have been improved - they were amended to require wheelchairs to be attached to the floor.

Judo. The only difference between Paralympic judo and traditional judo is the different textures on the mats that indicate the competition area and zones. Paralympic judoists compete for the main prize - a gold medal, and the rules of the game are identical to those of the International Judo Federation. Judo was included in the program of the 1988 Paralympic Games. Four years later, at the games in Barcelona, ​​53 athletes representing 16 countries of the world took part in this type of competition.

Weightlifting (powerlifting). The starting point for the development of this Paralympic sport is the 1992 Paralympic Games in Barcelona. Then 25 countries presented their sports delegations to weightlifting competitions. Their number more than doubled in 1996 at the Atlanta Games. 58 participating countries were registered. Since 1996, the number of participating countries has steadily increased, today 109 countries on five continents take part in the Paralympic weightlifting program. Today, the Paralympic weightlifting program includes the participation of all groups of disabled people who compete in 10 weight categories both male and female. For the first time, women took part in these competitions in 2000 at the Paralympic Games in Sydney. Then women represented 48 countries of the world.

Shooting. Shooting competitions are divided into rifle and pistol classes. Rules, competitions for the disabled are established International Committee disabled shooting. These rules take into account the differences that exist between the capabilities of a healthy person and a disabled person at the level of using a functional classification system that allows athletes with different health conditions to compete in team and individual competitions.

Football. The main prize of these competitions is a gold medal, and only men's teams take part in them. FIFA rules apply with some restrictions, taking into account the health of athletes. For example, the offside rule does not apply, the field itself and the goal are smaller than in traditional football, and a throw-in from the touchline can be done with one hand. Teams must have a minimum of 11 players.

Swimming. This sport program comes from the tradition of physiotherapy and rehabilitation of the disabled. Swimming is available to people with disabilities of all groups of functional limitations, the only condition is a ban on the use of prostheses and other assistive devices.

Table tennis. In this sport, the players, first of all, require a proven technique and a quick reaction. Therefore, athletes use generally accepted methods of play, despite their physical limitations. Table tennis competitions at the Paralympic Games are held in two types - in wheelchair competitions and in traditional form. The program includes both individual and team competitions for men and women. The classification for this sport consists of 10 functional groups, which include athletes with various limitations. Paralympic table tennis competitions are governed by rules from the International Federation table tennis, with minor changes.

Wheelchair basketball. The main governing body in this sport is the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF), which develops classifications for players of various degrees of disability. The IWBF rules govern the judging and basket heights, which are similar to the traditional game. Although wheelchair basketball has much in common with traditional basketball, it has its own unique style of play: defense and offense must be played in accordance with the principles of support and mutual assistance. Unique dribbling rules that allow you to organize the movement of wheelchairs across the field give the attack a special unique style. So two attackers and three defenders can participate in it at once, which gives it great speed. Unlike traditional game, where the main style of the game is "back to the basket", when playing wheelchair basketball, the forwards play "facing the basket", constantly moving forward.

Wheelchair rugby. Wheelchair rugby combines elements of basketball, football and ice hockey, and is played on a basketball court. Teams consist of 4 players, plus up to eight substitutes are allowed. The classification of players is based on their physical abilities, based on which, each is assigned a certain number of points from 0.5 to 3.5. The total number of points in a team must not exceed 8.0. The game uses volleyball, which can be carried, handed over. The ball must not be held for more than 10 seconds. Points are scored after hitting the opponent's goal line. The game consists of four periods, each 8 minutes long.

Wheelchair tennis. Wheelchair tennis first appeared on the Paralympic program in 1992. The sport itself originated in the United States in the early 1970s and continues to improve today. The rules of the game are essentially the same as those of traditional tennis and naturally require similar skills from the players. The only difference is that players are allowed two outs, the first being within the court boundaries. In order to access the game, the athlete must be medically diagnosed with mobility restrictions. The program of the Paralympic Games includes singles and doubles events. In addition to the Paralympic Games, tennis players compete in numerous national tournaments. At the end of each calendar year, the International tennis federation considers quotes provided by NEC, national quotes and other pertinent information to identify contenders for the championship title.

Volleyball. Paralympic championships in volleyball are held in two categories: sitting and standing. Thus, athletes with all functional limitations can take part in the Paralympic Games. High level teamwork, skill, strategy and intensity is undeniably evident in both categories of competition. The main difference between traditional volleyball and the Paralympic version of the game is the smaller court size and lower net position.

Ski cross. Skiers compete in classic or freestyle riding, as well as in individual and team competitions at distances from 2.5 to 20 km. Depending on their functional limitations, competitors use either traditional skis or a chair equipped with a pair of skis. Blind athletes ride in conjunction with a sighted guide.

Hockey. The Paralympic version of ice hockey made its debut in the program of the Games in 1994 and has since become one of the most spectacular sports events in their program. As in traditional ice hockey, six players (including the goalkeeper) from each team are on the field at a time. The sledges are equipped with skate blades and the players move around the field using iron-tipped sticks. The game consists of three periods of 15 minutes each.

Healthy athletes mow down as disabled people to win world competitions and get paid for the award.

Dry news reports after the end of the Paralympic Games in London: “The Russian team showed a phenomenal result, having won 102 medals in the team event. Russian Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko announced that athletes with disabilities for medals will receive bonuses on a par with healthy athletes. In total, the state allocates 286 million rubles for awards to athletes with disabilities.”

The money was paid on time.

The country rejoiced. Journalists lifted heroes to the skies in television reports and on newspaper pages.Meanwhile, the disabled athletes themselves frantically rushed to prepare for the next competition - the Olympics in Sochi.And only people who know firsthand the cuisine of wheelchair sports once again shrugged their shoulders: “How is it? After all, only the blind cannot see that instead of some disabled people, healthy people went to the start ... "

The topic of "global swindle" at the Paralympics has long been discussed in the environment sports commentators. She does not give rest to real disabled people, who, for obvious reasons, do not go to the European and world championships.

Who actually participates in the Paralympic Games, how the "disabled" pass the medical examination and receive the cherished certificates, why should healthy people mow as sick - in the material "MK".

Valery Melnikov, father of Paralympic champion Olga Sokolova, revealed to MK the secrets of training disabled athletes.

A small "kopeck piece" in the center of Moscow.I am met by a middle-aged man. Introduces: “Valery Melnikov, father of Paralympic swimming champion Olga Sokolova. Himself - a multiple champion of Russia.

We settle down in the kitchen.

Valery is blind. At all. Reacts only to bright light. And that's it.To begin with, introduces me to the course of the case. Explains that visually impaired swimmers are divided into three categories - B1, B2, B3. In the international qualification - other letters and numbers (S11, S12, S13). The essence is one.

Athletes competing in category B1 are totally blind or only react to light. That's how I am. I don't even react to the movement of my hand. The same situation is with my daughter Olga. She is 36 years old, she performs in this difficult category. Athletes performing on B1 swim in glasses, the glasses of which are tightly sealed with a plaster or electrical tape. After overcoming the distance points are checked by the judges. These are nuances that relate only to category B1.

Other categories seem to follow no rules at all. This is where tricks begin. For example, category B2 includes athletes who must see the movement of the hand no further than 2 meters. In B3 - people who see no further than 6 meters. But note that they should see only the movement of the hand, not the movement of the fingers. In fact, those who belong to the B3 category should not have even 10 percent of vision. But all this is written only on paper. In reality, the situation is different. It is no coincidence that our athletes are constantly jumping from B3 to B2. Complain: they say, vision has deteriorated. So, for those who have moved to B2, it is easier to win medals.

- Give specific examples.

For example, there is such a champion Anna Efimenko. She wears contact lenses, but medical qualifications can be passed without them. You can also swim in lenses, which is a direct violation of all the rules. But nobody checks it. This girl went to the second Olympics. Naturally, she did not return without medals. Although in London - "gold" did not take. Yes, she really has trouble with her eyesight - she was diagnosed with myopia. But in contact lenses, she is practically a sighted person. According to our trainer, she does not even have a certificate from the VTEK (a medical and labor expert commission that establishes the cause of disability). I remember that Anya came up to me and said reproachfully: “Valera, why are you lying that you don’t see? You're looking me straight in the eyes!" And she was at that moment 5 meters away from me. Can you imagine how good her eyesight is if she saw where my pupil was looking?

It turns out that almost any sighted person can pretend to be blind, deceive doctors and rush to the Paralympics? ..

I have no idea how our Paralympic athletes pass the medical examination. But I think that it cannot do without money and connections. I recently listened to a radio program dedicated to the Paralympics. The speed skater Svetlana Zhurova, who also questioned the disability of our athletes, was on the air. Then she asked a reasonable question to the vice-president of the All-Russian Society of the Blind, Lidia Abramova: “I look at our swimmer Savchenko and see that she is an absolutely sighted person, she doesn’t look like a disabled person - you can see it in her eyes. How does she perform in a blind program? To which Abramova found a worthy answer: “You know, she is very well adapted to us. In our country, the blind have learned to navigate by smell and sound. I then laughed heartily. I wonder if the car can also be driven by smell or sound? All Paralympians talk about it. Our guys tried to tease the girl more than once: “How do you drive a car and swim along B2?” She was not at all taken aback: “So what? I can drive a car, but I don’t see it.”

“Healthy athletes on the medical board mow under the blind”

- Your daughter Olga Sokolova returned from the London Paralympics without medals. What happened?

It was her fifth Olympics. In London, Olya took only 7th place. Perhaps the unsuccessful performance was influenced by the atmosphere in which she had to live for three weeks. Olya performs in category B1. She is completely blind. There is a special provision that blind athletes must travel with an escort to competitions. So, my daughter went to London without her coach and without an escort. Therefore, almost all three weeks spent in England, I sat in a hotel room. Only once did she persuade the coach of another athlete to go outside with her and help her buy souvenirs. Once she was helped downstairs for breakfast. And there was not even a question of going out to the city - there were no people who wanted to accompany the blind. Olga, after such an attitude, had a tantrum. Although by nature she is a strong, self-possessed person. And then I remembered the old days. After all, I have been playing for the Moscow national team for 38 years. I also swim. Helping the blind has always been considered a matter of honor ... Now the athletes who see are on their own, the blind are on their own. No one will lend a helping hand to anyone.

- But the question of accompanying Paralympic athletes should have been discussed in advance?

Before leaving, the Paralympic team was received in the Kremlin. Suddenly, Minister of Sports Mutko was nearby. The daughter explained to him that a blind athlete must be insured at competitions in order to avoid injury. When a Paralympian swims, he does not see the wall - for this you need a coach who would guide his ward, suggest when to make a turn ... Olya’s conversation with the Minister of Sports was interrupted by the Vice President of the Society for the Blind: “Olya, don’t invent, you have an accompanying !" Nevertheless, my daughter went to London alone ...

- Paralympic athletes communicate with each other?

A team of 13 swimmers went to London. Only my Olya and another woman from Volgograd were walking along B1. Of the men, two are blind - Alexander Chekurov from Volgograd and Rustam Nurmukhametov and Magnitogorsk. All the rest have nothing to do with the blind category. Most of them graduated from ordinary sports schools, now they study at the institute. In my opinion, only Alexander Golintovsky from St. Petersburg studied at a school for the blind. Although he seems to be able to see well. Calmly one walks along the street, orientates, reads books. According to him, his eyesight is just falling.

Are the majority of our disabled athletes really ordinary people, moreover, graduates of sports schools? ..

Most graduated from regular schools. From early childhood, trained in sports schools. For example, Dasha Stukalova, a young swimmer, a healthy girl, she has a professional sports school behind her. After all, at first they didn’t let her into the Paralympics. She did not pass by sight as a disabled person. They said to her: "You see well." But shortly before the Paralympics, the coach of our team, Igor Tveryakov, took Dasha to some international competitions for the blind, where she passed the selection. And after that, by some miracle, she got access to the Paralympics.

- As far as I understand, the Paralympic athletes themselves do not even try to hide a far-fetched illness?

Everyone knows everything, but they are silent. Let's take our champion Oksana Savchenko. The coach of our Paralympic team personally gave her a start in life - he moved her from Kamchatka to Ufa, gave her an apartment, arranged an athlete for an institute. After all, they even gave her a car, in which she does not hesitate to drive around the city ...

Or a certain Stepan Smagin. He has a sighted eye, the other is problematic. Such people are not even given a visual disability group. Nevertheless, he has been performing at the Russian Championship for many years, participating in international competitions, represents our country at the European and World Championships. And he was somehow pushed to the last Paralympic Games, but they warned that this was the last time Smagin was allowed to participate in games of this level. Nevertheless, he received his “gold” and bonuses.

Let's go further. Famous swimmer Alexander Nevolin-Svetov. Also supposedly blind! The guy from childhood has been engaged in professional sports, graduated from a sports school, still trains twice a day. Shows the results of a sighted master of sports. On the last championship In Russia, he swam the 100-meter freestyle in 52 seconds! Believe me, it's fantastic! I have been swimming all my life and I know that in order to achieve such results, one must be healthy and talented. Those who communicate with Alexander believe that he is absolutely healthy. My friend coach said that this athlete passes the medical examination according to his long-established method.

- Is it really impossible for a blind athlete to achieve those heights in sports that are subject to the sighted?

Such units. Here Rustam Nurmukhametov was sighted. Blind after an injury. I began to train and achieved decent results. But this man has been swimming for over 10 years. He trains a lot, and therefore achieved decent results. In general, it takes 8-10 years to prepare a blind athlete for competitions at the level of the Russian championship. I'm not talking about international competitions, and even more so - about the Paralympic Games. After all, a blind person needs to be taught the technique of swimming, to conduct training with him at least twice a day, to find an escort. And why strain so much if you can take a ready-made athlete from a sports school, who, perhaps, has only some slightest vision problems?

Millions for cheating

- All these machinations are made for the sake of earnings?

Why not? For example, two Paralympic athletes from Belarus are now playing for our team. In Belarus, the amount of bonuses for a medal is much lower, so the guys changed the country. These professional athletes received Russian citizenship, registered in Moscow. But how can they be called disabled? Here Roma Makarov has a cataract, but he sees decently. Serezha Punko, in my opinion, has atrophy of the nerves, but he sees 30 percent. And coaches turn a blind eye to all these nuances. The main thing is that the athletes brought the "gold"! We are proud of you! Courageous people!

- What is the reward for cheating?

I'll tell you about Moscow. Participants of the Paralympic Games receive a monthly lifetime presidential scholarship in the amount of 30,000 rubles. Of course, this amount will be indexed over time. Also, the Moscow government pays a scholarship to those athletes who win prizes at the Russian championships. And it doesn't matter if you won gold or bronze. There, too, an amount of about 10 thousand rubles accumulates. I always take part in such competitions, and such support is essential for me. If the athlete is Olympic champion, he is paid about 90 thousand rubles a month.

- Do they pay separately for the medal?

For "gold" we pay 4 million rubles. Pay no more than two awards. It turns out that the athlete received 8 million from the Sports Committee - and she was given the same amount in her region. We believe that Oksana earned a total of 16 million rubles for the London Paralympics. Crazy money! But the matter is not limited to one Paralympic Games. All the same “disabled people” go to the world and European championships, from where they also bring decent bonuses. This is how money is made. And here I can't blame anyone. Who would refuse such a temptation?

- Similar things began to happen when people realized that you can earn money on the sport of the highest achievements?

My daughter says: when such huge bonuses began to be paid to athletes, then this disgrace flourished.

So, nothing like this has happened before?

I'll tell you from my own experience. In 1973 I graduated from a boarding school for visually impaired children. He entered the enterprise - then in Moscow there were about 17 enterprises for the visually impaired. On the first day, a fizruk approached me and signed me up for swimming. I note that an employee was attached to each such enterprise physical education, and, as a rule, they were the champions of the country. I trained a lot, began to go to competitions. Soon the head coach of the Moscow national team noticed me and invited me to the team of the blind. Training started at 7 am. To get to the pool, I had to leave the house at 4.30. Life was seething. Competitions were held almost every week. At the end of the year, sports evenings were organized for the disabled, artists performed in front of us. There was no cheating. But the money, however, also did not pay. By the way, then there were only two categories of swimmers: B1 - totally blind and B2 - all the rest. There was no third group. An interesting point: at that time, visually impaired people of group III were not allowed to compete - they were considered sighted, although they had a certificate of disability. Now there are those who do not have such a certificate at all.

- When did the first pseudo-disabled people appear?

When did you start traveling abroad? Somewhere in 1979, the USSR brought its disabled people to Poland for the first time. The composition of the national team was selected based on the results of the USSR championship. This trip seems to have been fair. But on the next set-ups began. After all, at that time everyone wanted to go abroad. In terms of deceit, “ahead of the rest of the planet” was Ukraine. The first time I noticed a setup in 1981, at the national championship, which was held in Alma-Ata. There, Ukraine presented its athlete - a "visually disabled", a certain Grechishnikov. At that time, this man was the champion of the country among the sighted in scuba diving ... There was another curious character from Ukraine. Also supposedly blind. His long tongue let him down. Once, after the end of the competition, we were talking, and suddenly he blurted out: “Come visit me, I will ride you on a motorcycle.” We precipitated: how so, on a motorcycle ?! He had no choice but to confess: “Our coach was promised an apartment if we win the national championship. But at the time it didn't seem all that serious to me.

- When did Russia excel?

When for the first time our team went to the Paralympics in Seoul. It was in 1988. But then the scale of the lie was not so catastrophic. An obvious set-up happened in 2000 in Australia, where my daughter went. Then the country learned the name of our famous champion- Andrey Strokin from Ufa. He started swimming in the early 1990s. He regularly won first places at the European and World Championships, brought Paralympic gold. Strokin constantly flashed on TV, they talked about him on the radio, he was awarded compliments: "a hero, well done, a courageous man." And everything would be fine if Andrei Strokin had not been noticed driving a car three years ago. Imagine, he himself covered 250 kilometers to get to the city where the Games were held! Well, now he is a renowned champion, and he has nothing to be ashamed of ...

“A normal person cannot constantly mow like a disabled person”

- Is the situation the same in the national teams of other countries?

The worst thing is that this is a worldwide problem. Everything works according to the same scheme, but maybe not in such volumes. For example, an athlete who is a member of the country's regular swimming team plays for Ukraine. Only among the sighted did he not rise above 5th place, and among the blind he is the champion.

- Does this happen only among the visually impaired?

I was told a case about one athlete with cerebral palsy. It was scary to look at him when he limped around the stadium on crutches. But, returning to the hotel, the comrade instantly forgot about his illness. One day at the airport, he noticed that his suitcase had been forgotten. So, out of fright, he grabbed the crutches under his arm and rushed for the luggage with all his might. And such punctures in relation to fake disabled people are permanent. The same blind people at first complain that they don’t see a damn thing, and then they glance at the clock located on the opposite wall of the pool: “There is still a lot of time left.” Or our other Paralympic champion once noticed new branded slippers on her rival. I could not resist: "What beautiful, branded flip flops." It was she who, from five meters away, saw the logo on other people's flip flops ... I’m all for this: a healthy person cannot control himself all the time, play the role of a blind person, and that’s sometimes forgotten.

- Surely the commentators, like no one else, notice this deception?

Of course they are not blind. And among us, the blind, there are also few fools. I remember we were sitting at the next Russian championship in swimming among the blind. The guys overcame the 100-meter race. I hear the results being announced - 52 seconds, 53 ... I was shocked, could not stand it, voiced my thoughts: “Wow, disabled people swim! The results of healthy athletes show!” Here our champion Anna Efimova turns to me: “Now there is no wheelchair sport - now the sport is professional.” And then I thought. After all, she's right - that's it, wheelchair sports are over!

- If the whole world knows about these facts, why is everyone silent?

Before London there was a small scandal, but then the story was hushed up. Wrestlers from Ufa appealed to the Paralympic Committee and the All-Russian Society of the Blind regarding swimmer Oksana Savchenko. The guys then were indignant: why is a healthy athlete going to England, and a blind wrestler is thrown overboard?! The guys didn't get a response. But here everything is obvious: Russia needs to win "gold", and it doesn't matter by what means. Therefore, it is necessary to take to serious competitions not a disabled person who is not clear whether he will win or not, but those people who will definitely bring awards to the country. That same Oksana was an obvious contender for gold medals. In the end, she went.

- Really none of the real disabled does not take part in such competitions?

I'll tell you about the championship of Russia among the blind. In my time, teams from 18 regions came to such competitions. According to the regulations, each team had to present at least 8 athletes, which should include 2 athletes from category B1 - completely blind. What do we see today? Now one or two people come from each region to the Russian Championship. Because all the visually impaired people understand that they will never take the first places here, there are zero prospects. And what's the point of participating in this circus? Here I am already 57 years old. I constantly take the first places in the championship of Russia. Do you know why? Because from category B1 I go to the start alone. And they give me a gold medal. I am the champion of Russia. Of course, I feel good - because for this I receive a pension. But is it supposed to be like that? I understand that this is ridiculous. As for the Paralympic Games, we have at most five people left with real blind athletes: two women who are already under 40, and three men. And that's all. There is no one behind them.

- Did our real blind athletes win something at the last Paralympic Games?

Only four completely blind athletes entered the Paralympics, who competed in category B 1. They did not win a single medal. And now they are unlikely to be sent to the next Games. Why, if they don’t bring medals, do you need to work with them 10 times more than with healthy guys - and what’s the point of wasting time and money on them? And there is a huge amount of money going around. Training camps are held in Cyprus, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates... And why shell out for disabled people who, perhaps, will not glorify Russia yet?

EXPERT OPINION

We asked the First Vice President of the Russian Paralympic Committee, President of the Federation of Sports for the Blind Lidia Abramova.

If earlier, many years ago, such things were still possible, now it is out of the question. I think so. The fact is that after each Russian championship, the winners undergo a serious medical examination before being selected for more serious competitions. Then the athletes are subjected to an in-depth medical examination, computer research. Moreover, each of them undergoes another medical examination two weeks before the start of the competition and immediately before the games. If one or another visually impaired person does not correspond to the medical class, he is excluded from the team. The requirements are now very tough. Of course, I am not a doctor and cannot determine by eye whether a person sees or not. The employees of the Paralympic Committee, when selecting athletes for competitions, are guided only by medical reports. We do not delve into the essence of medical issues - here we are incompetent. So we fully trust the experts in this field. Of course, Russian sages are capable of anything - they can even get a fake certificate; we also have one region that has previously sinned with such frauds. But I would like to hope that today the situation has changed radically.

Material: Irina Bobrova