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second, a great occasion to remember.

Since then visited another 12 summer and winter Olympic games. But Moscow’s favorite, a touching, hard-won. And for my first assignment in the official journalistic career. Only came in the spring of 1975 in “Komsomolskaya Pravda”, as I was “attached” to the organising Committee of the Olympic games. And no reporter’s prowess had nothing to do, and where she was then to take. I just lived in Gorky (now Tver) in the house 25 and the organizing Committee is located in an old merchant mansion right in the window in the window across the street to the building 22A.

took me there as a home for nearly six years before the Games, few of them were interested in and wrote. And for me, happy Olympic days has come already. I was told, and I carefully explained, as was the match schedule and selected plus trained future judges. Gave to look in the script opening and closing. Showed graphics of the construction of Olympic facilities. My efforts have been noticed, even the Spanish Ambassador in the USSR Mr. Samaranch. Then a couple of days before Games in my eyes in the pillared hall, he was elected President of the IOC. A few years prior to this the Ambassador once Franco’s Spain invited (unprecedented then) first on a luxury reception at the hotel “Soviet”, and then in an interview in the office.

Along with all the normal people I was worried about the boycott, not quite normal U.S. President Carter announced. And was happy at the dress rehearsal of the opening Games seeing that signs with the names of countries carrying 80 volunteers. A lot for that era, when the us pressured everyone only thought about participating in the Games.

And at the opening I was waiting for a meeting with a character, acquaintance with which took place a few years before 19 July 1980. The organizing Committee somewhere in the year 1977 declared all-Union competition for the best mascot of the Olympics. My idol at the “Komsomolskaya Pravda” Vasily Peskov spoke about this in the insanely popular then the program “animal world”. Responded, as claimed by Vasily Mikhailovich, 50 thousand people. The organizing Committee showed me the pictures of hundreds of professionals and thousands of enthusiasts. The winner was obvious – a good-natured chestnyaga Bear with open eyes. And the author of the mascot were not too surly and taciturn. The creation of artist Victor Chizhikova, belted Olympic order, liked everything. In my opinion, and there was no mascot is better than this.

At the time the pre-Olympic storm when some sports facilities were rented at the very end, about fifty majors and colonels waved homemade brooms near the Palace of sports of CSKA. Approached the group of officers, they, it appears, withdrew from classes in a Academy to elevate the area in front of the entrance. Some Lieutenant Colonel to make a joke out��: “It is impossible to sum up such an important friend”. I thought that about someone and had to think about comrade Brezhnev, but the officer showed me a poster with… the Bear.

Or even the story. Got a call from yet formally opened the Olympic village: immediately to us, arrived early guests. We rushed in the design found the … delegation from Seychelles. As the population of the Seychelles? If now thousands 95, then 85-90. In the delegation under 20 people. Well, it’s not bad, is still a country the British Commonwealth, and was not afraid of Americans declared a boycott. A few athletes, but mostly plump talkative uncles heads. Ask me for an icon with a Bear, in response to endowing something national.

then for some reason came to the final confidence: we don’t care about a boycott. If you got incredibly far in the Seychelles, and others will come. 80 of the participating countries for the “Olympic war”, which started with us States, too bad. We unsuccessfully retaliated by not going to the Games in Los Angeles. Grand Soviet ideological error.

the closing Ceremony we looked at the Luzhniki stadium with my friend, the correspondent of “KP” Alexander by Sumskim – most talented sports journalist who I was lucky enough to read and see for the last 47 years. Some reports from the event he wrote in verse. To many in the Soviet Union the brilliant Alex was skeptical. But not to Bear. And when singing the song Pakhmutova and Dobronravov about the departing tender Misha, the Noise shifted, worried: “Look, its hold on the ropes. Oh, sorry, we never let go!” We argued, and when the Bear hovered in the floodlights illuminated the Moscow sky, Shumsky reached for his handkerchief. I cried a long time, like a hardened cynical journalists from different countries and peoples. In 1980 the talisman in the sky was a bold gesture. For many, we’ve discussed this, Mike became a harbinger of an incredible freedom.

But the Bear didn’t disappear. The next morning in the newspaper called: landed we have around here. We arrived, photographed, wrote.

And after closing, when all of our heavy, long and happiest Olympic work was done, fifteen colleagues came to celebrate the event. Waited and Shumsky. He called: Hello, but will not be leaving this city with the bride and another on the new “the Muscovite” to the South. I was upset. But the merriment tightened, no, no way.

Although something vaguely have Gloria, climbed in a tired mind a strange thought. Two days later we found out: Alexander Shumsky and his companions died in a car accident. We buried our comrade in a closed coffin. Does this apply to the Olympics? Only by time. But I remember everything.

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Jennifer Alvarez is an investigative journalist and is a correspondent for European Union. She is based in Zurich in Switzerland and her field of work include covering human rights violations which take place in the various countries in and outside Europe. She also reports about the political situation in European Union. She has worked with some reputed companies in Europe and is currently contributing to USA News as a freelance journalist. As someone who has a Masters’ degree in Human Rights she also delivers lectures on Intercultural Management to students of Human Rights. She is also an authority on the Arab world politics and their diversity.