The traditional all-Russian handball tournament in memory of our outstanding compatriot, two-time Olympic champion Vasily Kudinov, has ended in Astrakhan.
Teams from Volgograd, Astrakhan and Krasnodar competed for 3 days at the Zarya Kaspiya Regional Sports training center. Despite the fact that the tournament had the status of an all-Russian competition, this year the team of the Republic of Azerbaijan entered the list of participants.
The bronze and silver awards were won by pupils of different age groups of the V.A. Gladchenko Astrakhan Sports School of the Olympic Reserve. The team from the Krasnodar Territory won the tournament.
The Azerbaijani handball players took the fifth place. They received commemorative badges and pennants. Ibrahim Khalilov was recognized as the best player of the visiting team.
In accordance with the agreements reached during the visits of Governor of the Astrakhan region Igor Babushkin to Baku, the sports contacts of our region with Azerbaijan have noticeably intensified,” Minister of External Relations of the Astrakhan Region Vladimir Golovkov said. “Last year, athletes from the Astrakhan Region took part in the European Belt Wrestling Championship, which was held in the capital of Azerbaijan. In turn, the Azerbaijani team competed in various sports at the international sports tournament "Games of the Caspian Sea", held in Astrakhan in 2023. I am sure that this year we will have the opportunity to meet Azerbaijani friends at Astrakhan arenas on an equal basis with teams from other Caspian countries."
Photos by Dmitry Marochkin