Vladislav Ivanov is a 75-year-old coach of the Russian national fencing team who has had a long and successful career. He began coaching in the Soviet Union and led the women's foil team to gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His grandson Gleb admires him not only for his sporting achievements but for his kindness and generosity in helping young athletes in need. Gleb hopes to one day follow in his grandfather's footsteps as a fencing coach.

1. Presentation
By Gleb Ivanov

2. "Fencing - is an art to hit without getting hit ..." - said Moliere. The history of
fencing goes back to centuries. People of ancient India, had a holy book of the
principles of exercises with weapons. At that time in Japan and China learning
fencing with bamboo sticks was distributed. Fencing as a sport was included
in the program of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. The first types of
competitions at the Olympic Games in Athens, was the individual
championship in foil and saber for men. The fencers from the Soviet Union
began to take part in the Olympic Games since 1952. The independent history
of the Russian fencing has been beginning since 1992.

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I want to tell you about the Soviet and Russian coach Vladislav Ivanov. He is master of sport in fencing, the
champion of the USSR. For 20 years he has been a head coach of the Russian national team in fencing (women).
Under his leadership the team won a lot of gold and silver medals.
In 1980, at the Olympic Games which took place in Moscow Larissa Tsagaraeva won the silver medal in the
individual foil competition. In 2008, at the Olympics in Beijing his team took the first place. And In 2012, two of
his students won silver medals at the Olympic Games in London.
My grandfather had been working in the North Ossetian school for many years. He got three orders and two
medals as a coach.
To be coach is very difficult, but grateful. Being the coach means not only hard work with students, but also living
their lives. In Ossetia my grandfather’s students lived in poverty, some of them had no parents. And my
grandfather always tried to help them Due to their success in sport they all got apartments. All of them got
married and had their own families.
Now Vladislav Ivanov is the oldest coach of Russian fencers – he is 75 –But he is still working hard as a coach of
the national Russian team and young fencers in CSKA. We often meet with my grandfather and I want to be like
him!

4. I know this man not from newspapers, and not from the
Internet, because he is my own grandfather. And I love him,
not for his achievements in sport, but for his kindness and
honesty.
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When I was in China, I visited the Olympic Stadium in Beijing. I
found that the Chinese had built a "wall of honor“ of the winners
of the 2008 Olympic Games. I found the names of my
grandfather's students. Feelings overwhelmed me were amazing. I
was very proud not only of our sportsmen, but also of our country.

5. His free time Vladislav Ivanov spend with us. Every summer holydays my
grandpa and I, go to our country house.
We have a good time, and a lot of fun there.
A famous Russian tradition is to make a barbecue in the country house. We also like
having barbecue and playing football while the meat is being fried. Then we usually
have fencing matches with toy foils and tell each other interesting stories.
-Sport is strength, health, fun and a good spending time! Everybody in my family
are interested in sport, like my grandfather. He is a famous coach of Russian
national fencing! I often visit my grandfather and I want to be like him!

6. On this slide the Russian women's team in fencing
(foil) is training In a sport camp.
You
can
see
Aida
Shanaeva,
Eugene
Lamonova etc – the
national
team,
the
champion of the 2008
Olympic Games. The team
is preparing for the World
Championship in fencing,
which will take place in
Paris. I like to wish our
sportsmen to
win this
competition.