Penza, 6 January 2013. PenzaNews. Honoring the best athletes and coaches of the region of 2012 took place during the annual Olympic Ball in Penza on Saturday, January 5. The deputy chairman of the regional government Valery Savin and the chairman of the regional sports committee Artur Panteleyev expressed their gratitude to the athletes and their coaches. The guest of honor of the event was the head of Summer Sports Department of Ministry of Sports of Russia Grigory Kabelsky.

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“In 2013, Russia will host a number of important sporting events. Among them are World Championships in Athletics, Rugby World Cup-7, World Martial Arts Games, and of course, Universiade in Kazan. I would really like Penza athletes to make them worthy. Moreover, preparation for 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro has already begun,” Grigory Kabelsky said.

Special thanks were addressed to the winners and participants of the Olympic Games in London: Ilya Zakharov, Yevgeny Kuznetsov, Anastasia Bliznyuk, Denis Ablyazin, Sergei Fesikov, Anastasia Zueva, Nadezhda Bazhina and Nadezhda Evstyukhina.

Oleg Utekhin, Igor Koryakin, Anton Grechishnikov, Georgy Lebedev and Vladimir Balykov were announced masters of sports of international class during the Olympic Ball.

Albina Razheva, Valeria Kolotushkina, Artem Ayrapetyan, Igor Yukin and Alexei Tyutin received the title of master of sports.

In addition, the gymnast Denis Ablyazin was awarded the title “Pride of the Penza region,” and his coach Sergei Starkin became the coach of the year.

Anastasia Zueva became the athlete of 2012; Oleg Utekhin won in the category “Discovery of the Year,” and female mini football club “Laguna-UOR” was announced the team of the year.

The most effective coaching team in 2012 was recognized a pair of Galina and Igor Yurlov who raised the winners of the European Swimming Championship among juniors.

The best coaches working in municipal youth sports schools became Julia Kulagina from Nizhny Lomov and Alexander Kudryavtsev from Mokshan.

Federation of swimming, water polo and judo were recognized the best in the Penza region on results of 2012.

Alexander Ekimov, judge of national category in Athletics became the best judge of the Penza region.

Valery Shumilin, honored coach of Russia in motorsports and Natalia Malyutina, deputy director for education and sports activities at sports school No. 8 in Penza were awarded for devotion to their profession.