Alexander Tikhonov: “I was there when Belousova and Protopopov won Olympic gold. I just want them to be buried in St. Petersburg.”

Quadruple Olympic champion Alexander Tikhonov told that he supported the idea of ​​burying Soviet figure skaters Lyudmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov in St. Petersburg.

Vyacheslav Fetisov, a two-time Olympic hockey champion and family friend, told that Protopopov’s will indicated that he should be buried with his wife Belousova in St. Petersburg. Chairman of the St. Petersburg Committee of Physical Culture and Sports Anton Shantyr also said that the organization was ready to help with the burial of Protopopov and Belousova.

— I saw their performance live, I was alongside them when they won gold at the 1968 Olympic Games. They were great athletes who brought glory to our country, they were called “Adagio on Ice.” Yes, they are gone, but over the last 20-25 years there have been many such examples. I would accept their request to be buried in St. Petersburg, I completely agree,” Tikhonov told .

Protopopov died on October 31 at the age of 91. During his sports career, the skater performed in tandem with his wife Lyudmila Belousova. The duo won the USSR championships six times, the world and European championships four times and won gold at the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Games. Belousova and Protopopov were invited to Switzerland for demonstrations in 1979, where they stayed. In August 1995, they obtained Swiss nationality.

Belousova died in September 2017.