MOSCOW, Jan 25 on Tuesday, in an online format, after the athletes communicated with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports said. Earlier it was reported that Putin would meet with the athletes of the Russian national team on January 25 on the eve of the Olympics. The Olympic Games in Beijing will be held from February 4 to February 20. «The online format has already been used. We assume the following: after the president talks with the athletes, there will be the inclusion of the chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports, Metropolitan of Murmansk and Monchegorsk Mitrofan (Badanin). He will say the archpastoral word and pray for the victory of the Russian team. Maybe there will be some kind of conversation — I don’t know if the athletes will be able, but we are ready for a bilateral format,» said Dmitry Petrovsky, executive secretary of the commission. Confessor of the Russian Olympic team , the rector of the Church of the Holy Right-Believing Grand Duke Dimitry Donskoy in Northern Butovo, Archpriest Andrei Alekseev, said that the blessing of the athletes would also take place. «The patriarchal blessing will be received from Metropolitan Mitrofan,» he said.
