Olympic champion Zaitsev wrote his name in the history of world volleyball and became an idol for many generations, says Matytsin

Minister of Sports of Russia Oleg Matytsin expressed his condolences on the passing of Olympic volleyball champion Vyacheslav Zaitsev.

Zaitsev died at the age of 71, his son Ivan posted a farewell post with photographs on a social network on Monday, June 12. The All-Russian Volleyball Federation (VVF) has expressed its condolences on the passing of the legendary volleyball player.

– Vyacheslav Alekseevich wrote his name in the history of world volleyball. He was an idol for many generations of athletes and fans, with great dedication he served for the benefit of national sports. On behalf of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation and myself, I express my deepest condolences, – the website of the Ministry of Sports quotes Matytsin.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev is the champion of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the silver medalist of the 1976 Games in Montreal and the 1988 Games in Seoul. Zaitsev has also won the World Championship twice and the World Cup twice. Seven times the volleyball player became European champion. At club level, Zaitsev played for Avtomobilist Leningrad, Italy’s Spoleto, Agrigento, Citta di Castello and Switzerland’s Lugano. On October 18, 2013, he was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame as one of the greatest players of the 20th century.