The FFKKR reported that Oleg Protopopov died in his sleep on October 31
Details of the death of two-time Olympic figure skating champion Oleg Protopopov have become known. This was reported on the website of the Russian Figure Skating Federation (FFKKR).
The FFKKR, citing journalist Sepp Schönmetzler, said that Protopopov died in his sleep on October 31. The cause of the incident is not specified. “The Russian Figure Skating Federation expresses deep condolences to relatives and friends, to everyone who knew Oleg Alekseevich Protopopov. Blessed memory…” the press service added.
The death of Protopopov became known on November 3. He died at the age of 92.
Since 1979, Protopopov lived in Switzerland with his wife Lyudmila Belousova, with whom they performed together in pair skating. In July 2022, the champion said that a construction company in Switzerland was going to renovate the house in which he lives and demanded that all residents move out of it. He stated that he had not found a place where he would live and complained about the impossibility of moving his things.
After this, Honored Coach of the USSR Tatyana Tarasova called for help with Protopopov’s move. “It’s a pity that Oleg Alekseevich found himself in such a situation. I know that he lives with a person and pays some very small money. He lives on a pension, just to pay for the apartment and eat,” Tarasova said.
Belousova, who passed away in 2017, and Protopopov competed in pairs skating for the Soviet Union. Athletes won gold medals at the Olympic Games in 1964 in Innsbruck and 1968 in Grenoble. In addition, the couple won the world championships four times.
The champions are included in the Figure Skating Hall of Fame, located in the American city of Colorado Springs. Soviet and Russian figure skaters also include Nikolai Panin-Kolomenkin, Lyudmila Pakhomova, Alexander Gorshkov, Irina Rodnina, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Sergei Grinkov, Marina Klimova, Sergei Ponomarenko, Natalya Mishkutenok, Oksana Kazakova, Artur Dmitriev, Alexey Yagudin, as well as coaches Tamara Moskvina, Alexey Mishin and Tatyana Tarasova.
Source: Lenta
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