Blind Paralympians. Big Paralympic scandal: coaches raised the problem of falsely disabled people

Cardiovascular diseases have a lot of precursors and the earliest symptoms, many of which can be easily confused with signs of other diseases. If you feel or notice at least one of the symptoms listed below, you do not need to panic, but you should not dismiss the warning signs either - it is important to see a doctor in time, because vascular diseases can really be prevented with the help of proper prevention.

Cough

Usually, a cough speaks of colds and flu, but with heart problems, expectorants do not help. It is especially worth alerting if a dry cough appears in a lying position.

Weakness and pallor

Functional Disorders nervous system- absent-mindedness, increased fatigue, poor sleep, anxiety, tremor of the limbs - frequent signs of heart neurosis.

Pallor is usually observed with anemia, vasospasm, inflammatory heart disease in rheumatism, aortic valve insufficiency. In severe forms of pulmonary heart failure, the color of the lips, cheeks, nose, earlobes and limbs changes, which visually turn blue.

Temperature increase

Inflammatory processes (myocarditis, pericarditis, endocarditis) and myocardial infarction are accompanied by fever, sometimes even fever.

Pressure

40,000 die every year due to cerebral hemorrhage in the background high pressure. At the same time, if you follow the rules for controlling pressure and do not provoke its increase, then you can avoid not only feeling unwell, but also more serious problems.

Sustained rise blood pressure above 140/90 is a serious factor for concern and suspicion of the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Too rare (less than 50 beats per minute), frequent (more than 90-100 beats per minute) or irregular pulse should also alert, such deviations may indicate coronary disease, violation of the conduction system of the heart and regulation of cardiac activity.

Puffiness

Severe swelling, especially towards the end of the day, can occur due to an abundance of salty foods, kidney problems, including heart failure. This happens because the heart cannot cope with pumping blood, it accumulates in lower limbs causing swelling.

Dizziness and motion sickness in transport

The first symptoms of an impending stroke may be frequent dizziness, but they are also a manifestation of a disease of the middle ear and visual analyzer.

Headache, especially throbbing, and a feeling of nausea may indicate an increase in blood pressure.

Dyspnea

Feeling short of breath, severe shortness of breath are symptoms that may indicate angina and heart failure. Sometimes there is an asthmatic variant of myocardial infarction, accompanied by a feeling of suffocation. Only a specialist can distinguish lung disease from cardiac dyspnea.

Nausea and vomiting

Vascular complications are very easily confused with gastritis or an exacerbation of an ulcer, the symptoms of which are nausea and vomiting. The fact is that Bottom part The heart is located close to the stomach, so the symptoms can be misleading and even resemble food poisoning.

Pain resembling osteochondrosis

Pain between the shoulder blades, in the neck, left arm, shoulder, wrist, even in the jaw can be a sure sign of not only osteochondrosis or myositis, but also heart problems.

A symptom of angina pectoris may be the occurrence of such symptoms after physical exertion or emotional upheaval. If pain occurs even during rest and after the use of special cardiac drugs, such a symptom may indicate an approaching heart attack.

Chest pain

A feeling of burning and squeezing, obvious, dull, severe or periodic pain, spasm - all these sensations in the chest are the most certain. With spasm of the coronary vessels, the pain is burning and sharp, which is a sign of angina pectoris, which often occurs even at rest, for example at night. An attack of angina pectoris is a harbinger of myocardial infarction and coronary heart disease (CHD).

Severe prolonged pain behind the sternum, radiating to the left arm, neck and back, is characteristic of a developing myocardial infarction. Chest pain in myocardial infarction is extremely severe, up to loss of consciousness. By the way, one of the most common causes of a heart attack is atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels.

Chest pain that radiates to the back of the head, back, or groin is a symptom of an aneurysm or aortic dissection.

Dull and undulating pain in the region of the heart, which does not spread to other areas of the body, against the background of an increase in temperature, indicates the development of pericarditis.

However, acute chest pain may also indicate other diseases, for example, be a symptom of intercostal neuralgia, herpes zoster, sciatica in the neck or chest, spontaneous pneumothorax, or esophageal spasm.

Strong heartbeat

A strong heartbeat can occur with increased physical activity, as a result of emotional arousal of a person or due to overeating. But a strong heartbeat is very often an early harbinger of diseases of the cardiovascular system.

A strong heartbeat manifests itself as a feeling of malfunctioning of the heart, it seems that the heart almost “pops out” of the chest or freezes. Attacks can be accompanied by weakness, discomfort in the heart, fainting.

Such symptoms may indicate tachycardia, angina pectoris, heart failure, impaired blood supply to organs.

In the presence of at least one of the listed symptoms, it is important to consult a doctor without delay and undergo studies that will reveal the true cause of the ailment. One of the most effective methods treatment of any disease is its early diagnosis and timely prevention.

Unfortunately, heart problems can appear not only in adults - every year cases of cardiac abnormalities are increasingly common in infancy and childhood. Even careful and scrupulous observation during pregnancy and compliance with all the recommendations of an obstetrician-gynecologist does not guarantee a favorable cardio anamnesis for the unborn baby - ultrasound diagnostics cannot always reveal minor deviations that will indicate the presence of problems, therefore, 100% exclude cases of congenital anomalies in the heart area impossible. And acquired problems with the cardiovascular system are not at all uncommon in modern pediatrics: frequent colds, tonsillitis, flu and other seemingly completely unrelated diseases can put a serious strain on the heart muscle, causing all kinds of deviations in children.

Therefore, it is extremely important to determine in time how well the baby’s heart works and, at the slightest suspicion of a violation that has arisen, seek help from an experienced cardiologist in order to exclude the possibility of serious anomalies. What to look for when evaluating the work of the cardiovascular system of a child? What symptoms are considered "wake-up calls" for a heart problem? The basics of self-diagnosis of children's cardiac disorders will help to deal with these exciting issues.

Risk factors contributing to the development of heart problems in infants

Heart disease can also occur on its own - it is not at all necessary that they be preceded by any violations. However, you should be especially wary if the following situations were observed in the anamnesis during the mother’s pregnancy and in infancy:

• The presence of chronic diseases in the mother. Pregnancy is a huge stress for a woman's body, so it is not surprising that in these 9 months everything, even hidden problems, are exacerbated. Such pathologies affect not only the well-being of the future mother, but also the developmental features of the child, and one of the first to suffer is the cardiovascular system.

• Infectious processes during pregnancy. A heavy viral load directly affects the heart of the fetus, so expectant mothers should be careful during the period of seasonal morbidity and when in contact with the sick, especially in the first trimester, when the laying and formation of the baby's organs is underway.
• Bad habits of the mother. The use of alcohol, drugs, smoking while carrying a baby can be a "trigger" in the development of heart problems, so all negative effects should be excluded - only in this way can you increase the likelihood of having a healthy baby.
• Difficult childbirth. Heart problems in newborns associated with complications during childbirth reach 40% of the total number of cases. Moreover, it is quite difficult to insure against such a turn of events: the only thing that can be done is to visit the gynecologist regularly, undergo all planned examinations and properly prepare for the delivery process.
• Bad environmental situation. Statistics show that children living in polluted industrial areas are much more likely to experience heart disease than their peers from rural areas.
• Social environment. Babies from intrauterine life begin to feel the stress and nervous shocks that are happening around. If an unfavorable psychological situation reigns in the family, the mother during pregnancy, and then the newborn experience stress, it is not surprising that later the baby will face heart ailments.

Any negative emotion, tension and negativity affect the baby's sensitive vessels, so the primary task of parents is to eliminate all irritating factors that can provoke cardio disorders.

Signs indicating congenital heart disease

Babies who have just been born cannot yet complain of characteristic chest pain, arrhythmia attacks and other symptoms associated with childhood heart pathologies. However, attentive parents and experienced pediatricians can recognize the presence of problems by the characteristic signs that will be observed in the crumbs:

• Low weight gain. Many congenital anomalies of the cardiac system manifest themselves primarily as a delay physical development, the most obvious factor of which is adequate weight gain. If a child with good nutrition in the first months of life adds less than 400 grams, looks lethargic, weakened and exhausted, you should urgently visit a cardiologist - in this case, only a thorough examination will help confirm or refute an exciting diagnosis.

• Blueness of the skin. Poor blood supply to the peripheral vessels and various vascular anomalies lead to a low supply of oxygen to the skin, due to which it acquires a pronounced purple-cyanotic hue. Cyanosis can cover the entire body, or it can only appear in the most sensitive areas (nasolabial triangle, on the lips, under the nails, etc.), but in any case, having noticed such a symptom, it is worth checking the condition of the child's heart.
• Dyspnea. The frequency and depth of breathing will also help to recognize cardiac problems. If the baby breathes superficially, shallowly and often, but at the same time he does not have respiratory and catarrhal diseases, it is worth paying attention to the cardiovascular system - in some cases, this is how cardio disorders manifest themselves.

• Tachycardia. The most obvious sign that helps to understand if the crumbs have abnormalities in the work of the heart is heart rate (heart rate). Normally, the pulse of a newborn up to 3 months varies within 100-150, by half a year it drops to 90-120 beats per minute. By measuring this indicator in dynamics, one can assess how well the heart copes with the function assigned to it.
• Fast fatiguability. If the baby sucks sluggishly at the breast, does not show interest in food, looks tired and does not want to actively move (naturally, in accordance with age norms), you should think about the upcoming visit to the pediatrician. Such behavior may be a characteristic feature of the child's psychotype, or it may signal the presence of heart problems.
• Noise in the heart. During the examination, each pediatrician must listen to the work of the heart and blood vessels in order to exclude the presence of noise and other pathological sounds. At the slightest suspicion of pathology, echocardiography is prescribed, which can more thoroughly determine the nature of the noise that has arisen. Organic sounds help to recognize serious malformations, and functional sounds indicate the rapid growth of the body, so they should not frighten parents.

Symptoms of diseases of the cardiovascular system in children of preschool and school age

Older children can already tell their parents what discomforts bother them, so it becomes easier to understand whether the cardiovascular system is working normally. In this case, the following may be a cause for concern:

• Discomfort, soreness in the chest. If a child complains that he has pain behind the sternum, heaviness and pressure are felt, you should definitely contact a cardiologist. Do not forget that the child still cannot clearly articulate his feelings: some say that it hurts in the chest, others describe the pain as a burning sensation, others complain of heaviness and discomfort, and it can manifest itself both during exercise and in a state of absolute rest. Therefore, for any of the possible problems, vigilance must be exercised.

• Stomach problems. Often children confuse heart pain with stomach upset. If the baby complains of heartburn, bloating, nausea, and attacks occur quite often and are not associated with a change in diet, this can serve as an indicator of cardiopathology.
• Frequent bouts of dizziness. In principle, weakness and dizziness are absolutely not related to vascular anomalies - perhaps the child simply ate badly or reacted too violently to the change in weather. However, often recurring cases, especially those that are prolonged or accompanied by fainting, should alert attentive parents - this may indicate that the heart cannot cope with the blood supply to the body.

• Pain radiating to the left arm. Such a symptom indicates serious and protracted heart problems, which, nevertheless, occur not only in adults, but also in babies. If discomfort affects the sternum, left shoulder and arm, it is urgent to sound the alarm.
• Cold sweat. Severe sweating is most often associated with a decrease in immunity, but if cold, sticky sweat appears for no apparent reason, you can suspect a heart problem in a child.
• Snore. Normally, the child should not make loud sounds during sleep. If he snores, sniffs or whistles, but nasal breathing is not difficult, you may need to pay attention to the state of his cardiovascular system, undergo an additional examination and take tests.

• Coughing. Most often, cough syndrome accompanies colds, but if the virus is defeated and the cough does not want to go away, you should think about whether the lungs get enough oxygen - this condition can be directly related to cardiac or vascular abnormalities.
• Puffiness. The appearance of edema is more typical for adults who are accustomed to malnutrition, while in babies such a symptom is a clear sign of ill health. If the heart does not pump blood as intensively as a growing body requires, fluid begins to stagnate in the limbs, which leads to swelling.
• Fatigue. Usually, the amount of children's energy can only be envied - little "energizers" are ready to jump, run and jump around the clock. If the baby refuses outdoor games, suffers from shortness of breath or weakness even with little physical exertion and tries in every possible way to avoid activities that require a certain activity, it is worth considering - is this a feature of his character or an alarming symptom?

Diseases associated with cardiac activity occupy one of the leading positions among childhood pathologies. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of the heart from infancy, carefully monitor its health and, at the slightest suspicion, visit the attending physician - such foresight can save you from more serious cardio disorders!

In sports, there are people who talk about the falsification of athletes' diagnoses.

The Paralympic Games have started in Brazil. Officially, our team was suspended from participation for doping. In the samples of 35 athletes, a prohibited drug was found. The names of the perpetrators were not released. Attempts by Russian officials to shame those who made the decision did not lead to anything, and they also failed to refute the verdict in court.

In the meantime, we have tracked down people who believe that our team was suspended not for doping at all, and politics has nothing to do with it either.

It's just that every victory has a flip side of the coin. Our interlocutors, who are directly related to the sport of the disabled, believe that among the Paralympic athletes there are many who are actually healthy athletes.

Our first interlocutor Alexander Kachanov, President of the Rostov Regional Public Organization of the Disabled "Don Disabled Sports Club".

I have been involved in sports for the blind and rehabilitation of the disabled for a long time, since I myself am a visually impaired person of the first group, - Alexander began the conversation. - The topic of pseudo-disabled people at the Paralympic Games is one of the dark areas of adaptation of disabled people. Healthy people no longer disdain to take away meager opportunities from the blind. It is clear that people with disabilities give up in such a situation.

- In Soviet times, was there also a substitution of disabled people?

In Soviet times, I happened to play for the USSR national team of blind chess players, organize competitions among the blind. We did not notice the false-blind then.

But one day I was entrusted with the organization of training camps for the USSR Championship in Greco-Roman wrestling among the blind, which took place in Tbilisi. And here for the first time I noticed that among the Georgian wrestlers there were clearly three sighted athletes.

I personally participated in the procedure for weighing athletes and checking documents with the help of one of our sighted coaches. As a result, one wrestler was weeded out due to the lack of a certificate of disability. The second withdrew after the first defeat from the blind. But the third one easily, effortlessly defeated the strongest blind wrestlers, and then loaded the entire Georgian team into his car, got behind the wheel and took them away after the tournament closed. I remember that in the same wrestling hall there was a portrait of this Georgian champion among the healthy ones. Then we became uncomfortable. That's the first time I got scammed.

- When did the rise of fraud begin?

In my opinion, with the appearance in 1986 of Lidia Abramova, who is the vice-president of the All-Russian Society of the Blind. We contacted her several times about the violation. sports principles, but soon realized that she was not going to decide anything, she was just taking up space.

Much can be said about the strangulation of the sport of the blind, but let us return to the falsely disabled. When the blind began to receive bonuses from the state many times higher than pensions, one could expect the rise of the sport of the blind in all regions. However, the Ministry of Sports gave it to the Federation of the Blind - and since then there has been a complete collapse. Since in Russia there are no normally functioning sports sections for the disabled, and it is necessary to win medals, then coaches appeared who began to introduce healthy unsuccessful athletes into the national teams. They received huge money, titles, state awards, scholarships, apartments, cars, honor and respect. The possibilities of the blind have now decreased to almost zero ...

- Where do they find athletes who are ready to pretend to be disabled?

The coach finds a suitable candidate among the unsuccessful athletes. It is desirable that a person has at least a meager defect of vision. And there is approximately the following conversation: “You have reached the ceiling, and among the disabled you are waiting for gold, money, fame. You pass the examination, I will agree everywhere. ” After the victory of such an athlete, the coach receives the title of honored and bonuses - almost everything is the same as the ward. I heard that sometimes some coaches and individual leaders of the Federation of Sports for the Blind force the winner of the Paralympic Games to share. Happened recently loud scandal with deaf Paralympians on this topic. But the matter was hushed up.

- It turns out that a falsely disabled person should thus thank those who covered him?

- How are disabled athletes admitted to serious competitions?

In Moscow, a special document is drawn up for admission to international competitions. There are no problems with this. When I was once examined at TSEINTIN, the doctor then said in an undertone to the representative of the CP VOS: “You know, but he is a real visually impaired person of the first group!” Imagine, it was a rarity for a doctor.

At the Paralympics, in addition to passing doping tests, do you need to go through a medical commission to prove disability?

Each team presents special documents of international standard. There are specialists who must monitor, check, remove, and so on. But they are rarely dismissed, since it is difficult to seriously examine a pseudo-disabled person on the spot, even if he has forgotten himself and discovered his "gift of clairvoyance." On the other hand, perhaps other teams have even more pseudo-disabled people - they are simply less prepared in terms of sports. Seriously as athletes, only African athletes and individual judokas from Europe stand out.

Is it true that while scammers are participating in the Paralympic Games, real disabled people cannot even go to regional competitions?

This is a sore point, since not all the blind can be champions of the Paralympic Games. Sometimes scammers take advantage of this, they say to disabled people: "You show the result - and you will go to the Paralympics or the World Cup."

I'll give you the simplest example. Several of the strongest blind chess players in Russia live in the Rostov region, but the officials of the Ministry of Sports do not let them even to the Russian Championship.

Last year, through the governor, we got the Ministry of Sports to plan a regional championship among blind chess players. But sports guide Krai did everything possible to prevent the blind from coming to this event. Our organization found out about the dates and venue at the last moment and gathered 17 chess-ranked chess players. But according to the results of this regional championship, no one went anywhere else. It was we who tried to organize something in one of the most accessible sports for the disabled.

We are no longer talking about regular classes, halls, inventory, training camps, preparatory competitions, friendly matches. There is nothing anywhere. Thousands of circles, competitions, athletes appear only in secret paper reports ...

- Did you complain somewhere?

Already tired of complaining. Therefore, many blind athletes stepped aside, others began to drink too much ...

- Oleksandr, what kinds of sports have the most pseudo-disabled people?

From the facts known to me, one can judge the presence of false-blind people in swimming, goalball, athletics, football, chess.

- Chess is not a Paralympic sport, why cheat there?

There appeared cash prizes at the championship of Russia.

“It costs nothing to deceive the medical board”

We make public certain facts. As I have already been informed, after our video, the Federation of the Sports of the Blind had to remove this pseudo-disabled person from the national team.

Information about falsely disabled people accumulated long years. The leaders of the VOS and the FSS operate in strict secrecy, so it was very difficult to collect reliable information. Nevertheless, the prosecutor's office is inactive, does not even check the facts provided to them.

- Do the athletes you name react to accusations against them?

The richest are simply silent. The rest report to their superiors. Naturally, none of them publicly answers sensitive questions. They're under reliable protection. They are covered by the leadership of the Federation of Sports for the Blind, the coaches of these athletes and new pseudo-disabled people who are already in line to participate in competitions. It also costs nothing to deceive the international medical board. There are such diseases among the blind that are poorly studied by doctors, but lead to disability. These are the diagnoses that most pseudo-invalids have.

- And why do the same people go to the Paralympics year after year?

Since there is no sport for the blind in the regions and the capital, the organizers of these tricks and "paper" events are interested in a rare rotation.

- Is it difficult for a real disabled person to get into serious competitions?

I myself had such a case. At the Russian Championship, I scored enough points and became a member of the Russian chess team. I spent money on obtaining a passport, but the leadership of the Federation of Sports for the Blind crossed out my name without any explanation. Of course, it is difficult for the blind to compete with the sighted. After all, pseudo-disabled people are not random people, but losers from big sport, and they have sports training at a high enough level.

- A blind athlete cannot achieve those heights in sports that are subject to the sighted?

This has happened in history. I remember that the blind wrestler Rodion Nikolaev became the champion of Rostov-on-Don among the healthy, but only once. The blind fight very correctly. Healthy people often experience stiffness. Nikolaev's eyebrow was broken in the final bout, several bruises were inflicted, miraculously the judge did not remove him from the competition. The victory did not come easily to him. You can, of course, talk about the difference in training, the availability of specialized rooms, relevant specialists, equipment, and simply the initial data are very different for the sick and the healthy.

Is it true that it takes 8–10 years to prepare a blind athlete for competitions at the Russian Championship level, so it’s easier to take a healthy one?

It rarely happens that some blind person is taken from scratch and trained at least to the champion of Russia. Too many barriers. Why strain so much when you can take a ready-made athlete from a sports school, who, perhaps, has only some slightest vision problems? ..

- All this for money?

Undoubtedly. Previously, there were certificates and medals, rare trips abroad. But even business trips abroad did not appeal to dodgers. Now pseudo-disabled people receive awards for medals, for places, for various holidays and anniversaries, gifts, cars, apartments. Journalists present them as courageous people who defeated their illness and reached heights with incredible efforts of the spirit and the connection of the reserves of the whole body ...

- Similar things began to happen when people realized that in sports highest achievements can you earn?

Yes exactly. Previously, the blind knew each other, often met at competitions. Many knew each other from their studies in schools for the blind. Now the blind have been cut off from each other and carefully monitored so that they do not receive information and cannot make group appeals.

- Is there something similar in the national teams of other countries?

There were such signals. But Russian leaders interested only in their earnings and avoid friction. Therefore, they do not protect their athletes if they fall for a lie, but they also do not file protests against violations of others.

Do the judges know too?

In Russia, they try to hold competitions for the disabled away from other blind people, so that there are no fans or journalists. There are no announcements of such events. Judges are appointed by the leadership of the Blind Sports Federation. For example, at the personal Russian chess championship among the blind, one of the pseudo-disabled during registration was told by the chairman of the organizing committee: “You should bring at least some certificate!”. And everyone was admitted to the tournament - just such pseudo-blind people took the first four places and received pretty good rewards and tickets to the Russian team.

- If these facts are known, why is everyone silent?

The blind cry, shout, appeal, even initiate criminal cases. But does anyone hear them? Well, when the Paralympic Games are already coming, it is clear that the leadership wants to report at any cost.

- What is your opinion on the removal of our Paralympic team from the games in Brazil?

My opinion is very categorical. Blind athletes do not take any medication unless required purely for their chronic or temporary ailments. But in recent, financial years, blind athletes began to hold training camps on a par with healthy athletes. And of course, they are sometimes served by the same specialists as healthy ones. And here everything depends on these specialists. For example, this summer they disqualified a blind veteran skier, having found this unfortunate meldonium in him ...

“The war for a ticket to the national team is not for life, but for death”

The second interlocutor Alexey Shipilov, - senior coach of the Moscow region goalball team. Goalball - sport 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 such an area where even a good specialist sometimes finds it 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 by sight. Before the Paralympic Games in Vancouver, our strongest skier was filmed in this way. Just there for an eye test. French doctor used a 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 high performance sport. 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?

Hard to tell. 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?

Such a number of medals our real disabled will definitely never receive.

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 generally want to remove me from coaching and threaten to cancel my applications for participation in the Russian championships.

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 happened 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.

On March 9, the Paralympic Winter Games will start in PyeongChang. Before they start, "SE" tells the story of one of those who consider themselves an athlete, not a disabled person.

I never saw him walking. When he was born, he was already in a wheelchair. However, he is my uncle Valery Ryzhkov- instilled in me a love for sports. When I was very young, he often went to training camps or competitions, and when he returned home, he trained every day. Sometimes he took me with him. He talked about great athletes, taught him to play chess, gave football balls, brought the read numbers of "Sport-Express". My uncle never liked to talk about himself. Nevertheless, on the eve of the Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang, I nevertheless asked for a conversation with him.

FRACTURE OF THE SPINE

We never talked about how you got into trouble...

Spring, 10th grade. Let's go to nature. They took a tape recorder, but the batteries ran out. We decided to recharge from electricity. I climbed onto a high-voltage pole - it hit with a current. I woke up - everything, my legs do not move.

- Were there options for you not to climb the pole?

I was the most athletic, it was immediately clear that I should do it.

"You knew it was dangerous, didn't you?"

Yes. But we thought that we would throw a wire - and everything would be fine.

Grandmother, his mother, said that in fact there was an agreement with the guys - if he breaks, they will catch him. However, when the uncle was electrocuted and he flew down, everyone fled.

After the incident, panic set in. When he regained consciousness, Valery did not feel his legs. Asked: "Where are they"? And his comrades raised them, showing him. In case of a spinal injury, this should not be done in any case. Further - worse. They tried to fit him into the cradle of a motorcycle in order to take him to the hospital.

Nobody understood how serious it was. Thought it was just hurt. If not for this, maybe the spinal cord would not have been damaged. And so it was all gouged. Although there would be consequences anyway. It's a spinal fracture...

ARAB MILLIONAIRES, OFFICERS - IN SUCH SITUATION EVERYONE IS EQUAL

- What were the first days after the incident?

There were weekends - May holidays. Because of this, the first four days of the right doctor was not there. Just lay and waited. Then a neurosurgeon from Orenburg arrived (everything happened in the village of Kulagino, and Ryzhkov was lying in Novosergievka - a little over 100 km from the regional center. - Note. IN AND.). Operated. It was assumed that the operation would be very long, but when he cut it, he saw the condition spinal cord and realized that there was nothing he could do to help.

- You then went to Moscow.

Only two years later. But there I was told that after the operation it would take a very long time to recover, and the chances of a positive result are rather zero. We decided to abandon it, and, probably, correctly. How many of them were made to the guys - as everyone had, it remained so. If there is a fracture of the spine, and even with a rupture of the brain, nothing can be done. And now it is. Only earlier they "cut" everyone in a row, but now they practically do not perform operations. There is no point.

At what point did you realize that you would have to spend your whole life in a wheelchair?

In Moscow. I saw that millionaire Arabs, our high-ranking officers, were in the same hospital. Many were injured before me, but they did not have any improvements. Why am I better? I realized that I would never go.

- This was hard?

It was normal. He spent two years in that position. And if all this time he was striving, practicing, then at that moment he realized: it was useless. When a person realizes that he will no longer walk, he looks for ways to continue living in such conditions, and begins to adapt to a slightly different life.

- Didn't your hands drop?

No, there are people who have been in worse situations.

REVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS

- Your idea was turned over by a trip to the Crimea, to Saki?

Yes. We went there with my father and saw a lot of people who ride in wheelchairs. Some are already 30 years old. This gave a big impetus. When I first lay in Yasnoye (a spinal center in the Orenburg region. - Note. IN AND.), where everyone hoped that after some time they would walk again. And in Saki, people lived quietly in wheelchairs, for them it was the norm.

- Are there many who hope to the last?

Some hope for a lifetime. They constantly go to rehabilitation, to grandmothers and healers, but the result is almost always the same.

- Is Saki the most adapted city for the disabled in the USSR?

Yes. There is not only a city with conditions for wheelchair users, but also an adapted sanatorium named after Burdenko. They came from all over the Union. And the Yakuts, and the Balts, and the Uzbeks. All were treated. Sanatorium right on the shore of a healing lake.

- Did you first learn about wheelchair sports there?

I heard about it back in Moscow. The guys read in some newspaper that even the disabled can go in for sports, some competitions are held. And in Saki I saw everything with my own eyes. The children rode wheelchairs and exercised. The first USSR Spartakiad for the disabled was held there, they competed in household wheelchairs. Racing were only among the Balts. They are next to Scandinavia, and progress of this kind reached them much faster.

- With what feelings did you watch the first competitions?

And I not only watched, but also participated. And immediately won. My friend Gennady Butov from Tomsk and I constantly went to the sea, to the disabled beach. And this is 12 km one way. Thanks to such preparation, everyone was smashed there.

- How old were you then?

27-28. Then they stopped giving me vouchers to the south. They said: enough, you don't have to go alone. In 1985, he went on his own. Lived in an apartment, trained. They gathered with the guys for the day of the city, arranged races. Then we talked, everyone wanted to move forward.

IN LILLEHAMMER-94 THEY DID NOT TAKE IT BECAUSE THERE WAS NO PASSPORT

In 1991, Valery was invited to Moscow. They invited one person from the region to a master class given by the Swedes. They taught how to move correctly in active wheelchairs, how to climb stairs. And then, those who have been there, had to transfer knowledge on the ground. In Moscow, Ryzhkov came across a photograph of a sports wheelchair. Upon arrival home, in Kulagino, he and his father made drawings based on it - and they themselves assembled a similar one.

I still don't understand how you did it.

Hands are, collected. I bought two sports wheels, the front one was made by myself.

- How?

Put from a baby stroller. From that moment another life began. In 1992, he went to Moscow for a sports festival, took fourth place. It turned out, compared to the factory ones, my stroller is very heavy. Upon arrival home, they began to assemble another one, improved the old one.

- Your first championship of Russia?

1994 in Volgograd. I won three or four distances. But this is already on a different wheelchair - with the help of the Orenburg sports committee, they bought it in St. Petersburg.

- How was the training in Kulagino in winter?

Until lunch, I twisted the simulator, which I assembled with my father. Then he went skiing. I compiled a program - in some period I did volumes, in some - speeded up. The more I met with the guys, the more I learned and analyzed.

- How much did you roll for a workout?

In the spring, about 20-30 km per lesson. When preparing for marathons - 50-60 km each.

- In 1994, you participated in the first world wheelchair athletics championship in Berlin.

And he could fly. In 1993 he participated in the Russian winter skiing championship. He performed well, was a candidate for Lillehammer-94. But I did not have a passport, and I was not taken to the team. Returned home - immediately took up this issue. By the summer the document was ready. And when I won several distances in Volgograd, I showed my passport to the authorities - there could no longer be any excuses.

- How did you perform in Berlin?

At 100m was 12th or 13th.

- What surprised you in Europe?

Is that one thing - I did not think that there are so many people with disabilities who go in for sports all over the world.

GAMES IN ATLANTA AND WHEELS FOR 2000 DOLLARS

- Paralympic Games in Atlanta - the most bright event in a sports career?

Certainly. I prepared with all my might. I regularly traveled to training camps in Moscow, trained at the Krylatskoye cycle track in the group with Irina Gromova. Approached the starts in good shape. The regional sports committee bought me an American sports wheelchair.

- Dear?

Very. Around 2000 dollars. At that time, only four riders were taken to the Russian national team, two were from Omsk, Sergey Shilov from Moscow and me. Went to both opening and closing. Such a show! It was good. He performed at his level, he seemed to be tenth.

- Did the foreigners have better strollers?

The strollers themselves are insignificant. But the wheels were very different. They already had carbon ones.

- Are these other speeds?

The appearance of such wheels was a turning point in wheelchair sports. Now everyone is like that.

“And you couldn’t afford them then?”

Where there! They cost about $2,000. Like a stroller.

- Could you perform better in the USA?

What they were ready for, they showed. Our sport was then at the stage of development, you can’t jump above your head. Upon arrival, we began to train even more. We looked at the foreigners - they were more ready. Not only are the wheels carbon fiber, but they themselves are stronger. Muscovite guys bought the same wheels. And I never got around to it...

Did you try to qualify in Nagano-98?

No. After 1993, he did not go to the Russian winter championships. It's hard. Here's how it is with summer starts - you go by yourself, you bring a sports stroller with you, you can put a bag in it. Somehow you get there. And in winter it’s hard to drag a whole bean alone. Although it turned out well in skiing. If only the logistics were easier. Would be on the team...

- And the same Gromova did not call you?

She called, but I refused.

- Why?

So the pension is 70 rubles. You can't live in Moscow with this money. She then had Shilov. When I refused, she called Misha Terentyeva(now State Duma deputy. - Note. IN AND.) from Krasnoyarsk. We agreed that I would do it myself, and come to the training camp in the summer. That's how it worked out.

20 THOUSAND RUBLES - THE BIGGEST PRIZE

- Next big starts after Atlanta?

In 1998, he competed at the marathon in Kosice and the World Championships in Birmingham. In England, I reached the 100m final. We were well prepared then. We were fourth in the 4x100m relay. True, I did not participate.

- Why? Were you number one?

The team leader decided so. There were five of us, and I was the odd one out.

- In Sydney could be selected?

Could. But at the Russian Championship in Tula, he was second, third, fourth everywhere. Then another wound opened up… In general, they didn’t take it. After that, I didn't take it seriously anymore. I just trained for marathons.

- Could you make money there?

Yes a little.

- Have you ever had prize money at the Russian Championship?

Once at the championship he won five distances. The rest was in prizes. So they gave me one letter, in which all the results were entered: I won at these distances, here I was second at these, and third at those. Medals appeared in the late 90s. Then sometimes they began to give dishes, teapots. There were no monetary incentives. Only in marathons.

- I remember there was a story in Omsk, when they promised a car, and after your victory, everyone outplayed.

Not really. There they put up "Oka" and immediately there were conditions that if Omsk wins, he gets it. I won. They gave me a cash prize. And no more cars were exhibited.

- The biggest prize money in your career?

Here in Omsk somehow there were 20 thousand rubles for a victory.

DOPING AND SCAM

Was there doping in the 90s?

There was no talk about it back then. Probably because there were no prizes. For the first time in my life I heard about doping before Atlanta. On the eve of departure Lev Seleznev told us: "Look, do not get drunk on any pills. I'll tear everyone's heads off!"

- The Paralympic athletes missed Rio, and they go to Pyeongchang with a very limited number of people.

Very embarrassing for all of this. Very! People plow so much, but they cannot prove themselves. Feel sorry for the young especially.

- How much is your pension now?

11-13 thousand. It's hard to live on this. You have to pay four thousand just for a communal apartment. And what remains? Need to work.

For sports merit in 1999, the administration of the Orenburg region gave Valery an apartment. However, something unexpected happened. Soon he got married. I thought it was for love. But it turned out - on a cold-blooded swindler, who, having learned about the upcoming gift in the form of an apartment, calculated everything. As soon as the wedding was over and the documents for the living space were obtained, she filed for divorce. Taking into account the fact that she had a daughter, two or three apartments were given to them by a court decision.

THE MAIN THING IS NOT VICTORIES, BUT ADAPTATION TO ORDINARY LIFE

- When did you start training?

- How was the recruitment to the group?

He called everyone. Someone knew. And those who knew knew someone else. They made commercials that were shown on TV.

- Was it on a voluntary basis?

Yes, I want people to do it. Then the city sports committee proposed to make an official group.

- Do I understand correctly that some of those who responded to the offer almost left the house for the first time?

This is true. Some have been sitting within four walls for years. It is difficult for someone to go out psychologically, for many - purely physically. Here you live high - and that's all, where? If only it was possible to exchange with someone on the first floor. Now it has become better - elevators, ramps are being made. This was not the case before. As a person got home from the hospital, he sat there.

When did you learn to walk up stairs?

In 1991, when the Swedes held a master class. Now the first thing we teach in a group is to adapt in the city, overcome steps, curbs.

- Is it hard to drive a car with one hand?

This is me even before I learned to climb the stairs. Attached the levers to the pedals - and nothing complicated.

- How many people are in your group?

25. Of these, 10-12 are wheelchair users. The rest are cerebral palsy. Sports are different: Athletics, streetball and table tennis. In general, conditions in the city are much better, much more attention is paid to the disabled. There are many places where ramps are made.

- Would you like someone from your group to grow to the level of the Paralympic Games?

For someone to reach the World Championship, you need to take two or three people and deal with them individually. There are those who wish. Some have great prospects. Let's see. In any case, the most important thing is that they all fully adapt to life, play sports and attract others.

In Kulagino, in my uncle's room, there was a picture - a heron almost swallowed a frog, but the frog, sticking out of its beak, squeezed its neck with its paws. And the caption: never give up. Ryzhkov never gives up. Doesn't complain. He does everything himself - from repairing the clock to mowing the grass. He does not expect outside help from anyone, but he himself is ready to come to the rescue always and for everyone. For me and dozens of other people, he is a hero and a living example. He not only copes with all life's difficulties himself, but also makes life easier for other people who find themselves on wheelchair, gives them confidence and re-awakens interest in life.

I once competed with him. He and other guys loaded bags and strollers into the gazelle. The coach from Omsk threw a phrase that I remembered for a lifetime: "Faster, faster guys! We are not disabled. We are athletes!"

Real athletes.

Valery RYZHKOV
Born April 18, 1961
14-time champion of Russia
Participant of the Paralympic Games in Atlanta-1996
1998 World Championship finalist in Birmingham 100m
Multiple winner of the International Moscow and Omsk marathons
excellent student physical education and sports
Winner of the All-Russian competition among trainers "New Generation" (2007)
Torchbearer of the Olympic torch relay in Orenburg (2013)

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 rushed furiously to prepare for the next competition - the Olympics in Sochi.And only people who are familiar with the kitchen wheelchair sports, once again shrugged their hands: “How so? 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 down 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 himself: “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. Imagine how much she good vision if she saw where my pupil is 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's 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, tell you 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 has been involved in professional sports since childhood, graduated from a sports school, and still trains twice a day. Shows the results of a sighted master of sports. On 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 each such enterprise was assigned a worker of physical culture, 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, he did 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 can’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 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 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