Russian athletes who won medals at the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing were triumphantly welcomed home at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport and then at VTB Arena. At the crowded arena, two of the gold medal winners, skier Alexander Bolshunov and figure skater Anna Shcherbakova, raised the Russian flag, which they had not been allowed to do in Beijing. «Thanks to the big friendly Olympic team, to all the people who helped and guided us, and to all the fans. I didn’t expect there to be so many of you,» said Bolshunov, who won three gold, one silver, and one bronze medals in Beijing. «It is an honour for me to represent our country,» Shcherbakova said.
The Russian national team won six gold, 12 silver, and 14 bronze medals at the 2022 Games. «Thirty-two medals are a national record. Teamwork has shown that difficult challenges only make us stronger. We are grateful to you for every medal. You gave it your all. The whole country was rooting for you. Hats off to you. Today is your triumph and moment of glory. Numerous boys and girls will be drawn to you,» Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko said in his address to the Olympians. «Winter sports are developing in Russia. Let’s thank those who trained these athletes. I hope we will surpass this record in 2026,» Presidential Aide Igor Levitin said.
The central event of the evening was a celebration honouring the winners of the team figure skating tournament — Kamila Valieva, Mark Kondratyuk, and the duos Victoria Sinitsina / Nikita Katsalapov and Anastasia Mishina / Alexander Gallyamov. The International Olympic Committee did not hold an awards ceremony in Beijing for this event. Actress Yulia Peresild and actor Dmitry Kharatyan, together with legendary athletes Tatyana Navka, Alexey Nemov, and Svetlana Zhurova, presented the figure skaters with gold necklaces engraved with the phrase ‘Champions of Our Hearts’.
Four-time Olympic cross-country skiing champion Nikolay Zimyatov presented Bolshunov with the ‘skiing king’ crown, an unofficial title skiers receive if they win the two longest distances at a single Olympics or world championship. Apart from Bolshunov’s feat in Beijing, Zimyatov was the only other athlete to be granted this title following his performance at the 1980 Olympics. «They call me the ‘skiing king’. That’s nice, but for myself I’m not a king and I don’t like being called that. I immediately hide all my medals away, as preparations for new achievements begin. Everything that happened is over now,» Bolshunov said.
RC-Sport, the sports platform of the Roscongress Foundation, took part in the rally for the Olympians, which was attended by students from the Institute of Public Service and Management of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), the RANEPA Institute of Industry Management, the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, the Financial Academy under the Russian Government, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, and Sergo Ordzhonikidze Russian State University for Geological Prospecting. The Roscongress Foundation provided organizational support to the situation centre of the Russian national team athletic training centre during the final stage of preparations for and during the Olympic Games.
