In the Irkutsk region, the anniversary of the start of the Sochi Olympic Winter Games was marked by Winter Sports Day, which lasted three days and combined tours, an autograph session, and competitions. The main events were the Siberian Federal District speed skating championship with more than 130 young athletes and a curling tournament with more than 30 participants. The report covers the bright results of the contests, the winners, and the atmosphere of the sports celebration held across all regions of Russia.

On February 7, one year had passed since the start of the XXII Olympic Winter Games of 2014 in the city of Sochi. The Winter Sports Day dedicated to this anniversary was held in all regions of Russia, including the Irkutsk Region. The organizers prepared a schedule of events designed for three days.
On the first day, for all interested schoolchildren, on February 7, there was a tour of the museum "Sports Glory of the Angara Region". There, too, an autograph session was held with Honored Master of Sports in speed skating, 1993 World Champion, silver medalist of the 1995 World Championship, participant in three Olympics, and now coach of the Russia Youth Sports School, Oksana Ravilova.
From February 7 to 8, the SFO speed skating championship took place at the Trud sports arena. The event was opened by Pavel Nikitin, Minister of Physical Culture, Sports and Youth Policy of the Irkutsk Region. More than 130 students from sports schools in Irkutsk, Angarsk, Shelekhov, Chita, Krasnoyarsk, Kemerovo, Barnaul, and Omsk took part in the competition. The competitions were held in two age categories: middle and senior.
Based on the results of the competitions, among boys of the middle age group in the 500-meter distance, the first place went to a representative of Kemerovo, Maksim Pustovoyt. Second and third places went to Irkutsk athletes Artem Laptev and Nikolai Byvaltsev, respectively. In the 1.5 km distance, the athlete from Kemerovo, Maksim Pustovoyt, again outperformed everyone. Irkutsk resident Nikita Goryashin managed to take second place. In third place was Aleksandr Samsonov from Omsk.
Among girls in the same category, in the 500-meter distance, first place was won by Irkutsk resident Anastasia Batgauer. Her teammate Daria Boriskina finished second. Third place went to Ekaterina Kuzmenko from Chita. In the 1.5 km distance, Yulia Fetisova finished first, with Daria Boriskina in second place, both representatives of the Irkutsk team. In third place was Angelina Shumeyko from Omsk.
In the senior category, in the 500-meter distance among boys, the winner was an athlete from Chita, Aleksey Ivanov. Second place went to Irkutsk resident Andrey Mikhaylov.
Third place went to Vladislav Groshev from Barnaul. In the 3 km distance, no one could beat Aleksey Ivanov from Zabaykalsky Krai; second and third places went to Altai athletes Vladislav Groshev and Andrey Troshev, respectively.
Among girls in the senior age category in the 500 m distance, Krasnoyarsk athlete Sofya Fokina took first place, Irkutsk athlete Elena Evdokimova was in second, and the honorable third place went to Ekaterina Misyuk, a representative of the Krasnoyarsk team. In the 1.5 km distance, Irkutsk resident Elena Evdokimova proved to be the most enduring, followed by Tatyana Sukhikh from Tomsk, and Sofya Fokina from Krasnoyarsk rounded out the top three.
On the final day, February 9, curling competitions held at the Trud stadium concluded the series of events dedicated to Winter Sports Day. More than 30 participants took part in them. Young athletes aged 12 to 13 tried their hand at mini-curling. First place was won by the team of Maksim Berengilov and Vladimir Komissarov. Second place went to the team of Kristina Ukrainskaya and Valeria Timofeeva. And the honorable third place was awarded to Kristina Zatevalova and Aleksandra Mirushkina.
In the 14-and-over category, the team of Artem Karetnikov, Andrey Shevchenko, and Semyon Ryzhuk won the competition. Eлизaveta Trukhina, Tatyana Mikhnik, and Olesya Gorbunova came second. Third place went to Lev Makeyev, Nikita Demidov, Nina Polikarpova, and Elizaveta Chadina.
Based on materials from the press service of the Ministry of Physical Culture, Sports and Youth Policy of the Irkutsk Region.