NOVOSIBIRSK, October 27 The first victory of the famous Soviet biathlete Viktor Mamatov at the Olympic Games in 1968, who died, gave a powerful impetus to the development of biathlon in the Novosibirsk region, said the governor of the region, Andrei Travnikov.
The Russian Biathlon Union announced the death of Mamatov at the age of 87 on Friday.
““It was the first victory of the great biathlete at the Olympic Games in 1968 that gave a powerful impetus to the development of biathlon in our region. In 1973, the first competition of young biathletes for the Mamatov prizes was held in Novosibirsk,” Travnikov wrote in his Telegram channel.
He noted that since then the tournament has become traditional and annually brings together athletes from all over the country. This year the competition will be held for the 50th time. The Novosibirsk biathlon complex was named after Viktor Mamatov.
““Viktor Fedorovich was a legend of Russian sports. I am sure that his memory will inspire biathletes to new achievements. Eternal memory to the great athlete,” the governor wrote.
Mamatov became a two-time Olympic champion in the relay at the Games in Grenoble (1968) and Sapporo (1972). Mamatov also won gold at the World Championships in the individual race and won the world championships in the relay three times. Mamatov was the standard bearer at the opening of the 1968 Games.