The tournament on water polo in the memory of Lieutenant-General A. Antonov opened in Kazan

(KZN.RU, November 25, Alsu Safina). The international water polo tournament among the veterans’ teams in the memory of Lieutenant-General A. Antonov opened in Kazan on the eve of the KSK “KAI Olympus”. 4 teams will take part in the tournament: “Sintez-Masters” (Kazan), “Spartak-Masters” (Volgograd), “Kazakhstan-Masters”, and “St. Petersburg-Masters 45+”.

Alexey Pesoshin, the prime minister of the RT, Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, Irek Zinnurov, the deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the seventh convocation, an Honored Master of Sports of Russia, Dinar Khamitov, the head of the Federal Security Service of Russia for the RT, Yuri Glazov, the chairman of the Arbitration Court of the Volga Region , Ilgiz Gilazov, the chairman of the Supreme Court of the RT, Ildus Nafikov, the prosecutor of the RT, family and relatives of Alexander Antonov, as well as heads of ministries and departments of the RT, employees and veterans of the Directorate of the Federal Security Service of Russia for the RT took part in the opening of the competition.

Lieutenant-General Alexander Antonov, who headed the Office of the Federal Security Service of Russia on the RT since 2011, was tragically killed in a plane crash in Kazan on November 17, 2013. Last year, a tournament on water polo among veterans' teams in his memory was held in the capital of Tatarstan for the first time.

“Alexander Antonov made a great contribution to providing security both in the daily life of the republic and during the biggest international sports competitions”, said Alexey Pesoshin, the prime minister of the RT, opening the competition. “He was also an excellent athlete who spent his student years in MSU involved in water polo”.

In his opinion, the tournament is “an excellent opportunity for young children to get to know water polo and learn from the masters”. And the audience will be able to see the exciting game and get vivid impressions. He thanked the teams who came to Kazan to participate in the tournament.

Such famous athletes as Olympic champions of 1980, Merited Master of Sports of the USSR Evgeny Grishin and Sergey Kotenko, Irek Zinnurov, two-time Olympic medalist, an Honored Master of Sports of Russia, Askar Orazalinov, a European champion, master of sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, are among the 59 water polo players who compete for the victory at the competitions.

Alexey Pesoshin, the prime minister of the RT, drew attention to the fact that water polo is one of the dynamically developing team sports in the republic. The Tatarstan Water Polo Federation conducts systematic work to popularize this sport. A. Pesoshin marked that all conditions were created in Tatarstan for its development. Modern sports centers and swimming pools are built in the municipal districts of the republic, where hundreds of children are engaged in water polo.

Irek Zinnurov, the deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the seventh convocation, an Honored Master of Sports, noted that it is necessary to educate young people by examples. “Alexander Antonov is a great man, worthy of imitation”, he said.

Alexander Antonov is a man who has left a bright mark in the hearts of many people, said Dinar Khamitov, the head of the department of the Federal Security Service of Russia for the RT. “For a short time of military service in Tatarstan, he united a team of associates around him, aimed at achieving the highest results in the work”, Dinar Khamitov said. “He was not afraid to take responsibility and was always in the eye of the storm. He was a real commander, clever, decent, with a strong character”. He expressed gratitude to the family members of Antonov, who also attended the opening of the tournament.

Before the opening of the tournament, the audience was also shown a video with memoirs about Alexander Antonov by Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of the RT, Asgat Safarov, the head of the Office of the President of the RT, Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, and others.

The head of Kazan called the lieutenant general a big man. “He himself was big in the growth, in the work, and in the ability to love life”, said the Mayor. “He was very pleasant to speak with, a very good older friend, from whom I received many really effective advices. At the same time, he was a wonderful family man outside the office. I have observed many times how gently he feels about his wife, daughter, and grandchildren. When he picked up the phone, it was clear that he was talking to his family. It describes the person”, Ilsur Metshin shared his memories. He also reminded of the well-coordinated joint work during the preparation and holding of the Universiade.

After the opening of the tournament, the first game took place between the teams “Kazakhstan-Masters” and “St. Petersburg-Masters 45+”.