From October 10 to 11, Ufa (Republic of Bashkortostan) hosted the All-Russian Sports Tournament "Vyacheslav Shevnin Memorial" for the third time, gathering over 200 amateur deaf athletes from five regions of the country.
Vyacheslav Shevnin was the founder of deaf sports in the Republic of Bashkortostan, an Honored Coach of the Russian Deaf Sports Team (hockey), who made an invaluable contribution to the development of the Deaflympic movement, leading them to championship at the 18th Winter Deaflympics in 2015.
Among other things, he also held the position of Chairman of the OSFSG Regional Branch of the Republic of Bashkortostan, successfully developing the deaf sports movement in the region. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2022 after a long illness, but his legacy lives on.
At the grand opening ceremony, Vyacheslav Shevnin’s friend and associate, Chairman of the Regional Federation of Deaf Sports of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Oleg Ivanov, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech.
The ceremony became especially touching when Vyacheslav Shevnin's daughter, Chairman of the Regional Branch of the VOG for the Republic of Bashkortostan, Olga Shevnina, took to the floor:
“Dear friends! I am glad to welcome you to the Memorial dedicated to my father - a man who left a bright mark on our hearts. Thank you to each one of you for participating - your support is very important for our family. Huge gratitude to the organizers for making the Shevnin Memorial a tradition, already gathering sports enthusiasts from Bashkortostan and other regions for the third year. I wish these two tournament days to pass in an atmosphere of respect, friendship, and sports excitement!”
The best activists and athletes of the republic were awarded special honors, and local deaf artists gave creative performances for the guests.
Over two eventful days, passions ran high at various venues. Athletes competed for the titles of the best in seven sports: table tennis, futsal, volleyball, darts, arm wrestling, chess, and checkers. Every participant found a field for competition, skill demonstration, and genuine sports excitement!
Upon conclusion, the best athletes in the team standings and in individual disciplines were determined. Champions and prize-winners received well-deserved cups and medals from the hands of the Chairman of BashVOG, Olga Shevnina.
May this good tradition live on and continue, and may amateur sports continue to flourish and unite people!
You can view photographs of these events in the VKontakte group.
Text: Nurlan Tazhigulov, Maria Mazhenina
Source and photo: Regional Branch of the All-Russian Sports Federation of Sports of the Deaf in the Republic of Bashkortostan.
Translation: Daria Kudelina
