Seeing is believing

This place is saturated with history. Major competitions, sports idols and heroes are visibly present here. Their fates – sometimes tragic – come to memory and stir emotions.

The Museum of Sports in Luzhniki is being renovated these days. It was opened in 1957 on the eve of the 6th Festival of Youth and Students and at that time it was one of the major repositories of sports relics and awards in USSR and probably in the entire world. Here you can get to know facts of our nation's sports achievements from the legendary sports pioneers and the few sports clubs of pre-revolution Russia to the heights of Moscow Olympics and the heroes of our times.

It is so thrilling to see the personal belongings of such athletes as the first Russian Olympic champion Nikolai Panin-Kolomenkin, the unrivaled power-wrestler Ivan Poddubny, the Merited Master of Sports in skating Yakov Melnikov, the manifold champion of USSR in track-and-field athletics Alexander Pugachevsky, as well as the boxing gloves of the legendary Valery Popenchenko, the champion's tape and the skates of the fourfold World champion Inga Artamonova, the skis of Vyacheslav Vedenin and Alexander Zavialov, the medals of Vsevolod Bobrov and Olga Korbut.

Here we see the ammunition of Valery Kharlamov and his hockey stick, as well as the sweater of the famous forward numbered 17, in which he roamed the ice within the CSKA team and the Soviet national team. In the adjacent hall we see the “Flower of Stone”, the award of the international hockey tournament established by Izvestia newspaper, which was made by the artisans of Ural from granite and is covered with amethysts. The “Snegovik” mascot of the tournament is also displayed here.

Further on you will find the cup of Canada that the USSR team had won in 1981. In those faraway times our athletes weren't allowed to carry the trophy back home. However, the Canadian fans raised money for a replica, which is now displayed in the museum. Recently some Canadian tourists wished to buy it back. Perhaps they are still unable to reconcile with that memorable defeat.

A special place in the exposition is dedicated to the best goalkeeper of all times, Lev Yashin: the “Golden Ball” awarded to the strongest player of Europe and the his silver Olympic medal, as well as the program of his farewell match and even the hunter's card of Lev Ivanovich Yashin.

Another section is dedicated to the appearances of our athletes at the Olympic Games. The exposition begins with 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. The biggest display is naturally dedicated to 1980 Moscow Olympics. Here we see medals, diplomas, the Olympic torch and the outfit of the torchbearer. The famous quadriga, the symbol of the Ancient Greek Olympics, is also displayed here.

The collection of gifts received by our athletes from different international sports associations includes: cups, vases, paintings and unique items applied-art. Here's a gift from Chinese sportsmen: an original ivory sculpture. There are no more than five or six similar figures in the world. French athletes presented a plate drawn by Picasso himself.

The outdoor display of the museum is also impressive. For example, the two stelas dedicated to the football finals of the UEFA Cup and the Champions League that took place at Luzhniki, a monument honoring the Olympic movement and the Olympic flame cup that was lit during the opening ceremony of 1980 Olympic Games. However, it is impossible to list all the exhibits of the museum, some of them are quite surprising even for sports connoisseurs. However, there is no need to do that, for seeing is believing.

“Come visit us,” - says the PR manager of the museum, Yulia Zhurkina. “Our excursions can also take you to other venues besides the museum. We offer a panoramic excursion around the Big Sports Arena and the elite stadium, which includes a visit to footballers cloakrooms, the press-center, as well as VIP lodges. We also offer an exciting two-hour excursion around our sports complex, which includes a visit to all major sports venues of the stadium, a story of its history and major sports competitions and cultural events that had taken place in the world's biggest sports complex.

By Alexei Rybalko

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