Olympic champion from the Luhansk region

27.5.2020

The Educational and Research Institute of Physical Education and Sports is proud of its graduate Volodymyr Bieliaiev.

Continuing the section “Famous athletes of the Educational and Research Institute of Physical Education and Sports” in the section “Sport Retro” we want to talk about the second Olympic champion of the Luhansk region Volodymyr Bieliaiev, who won the gold of the 19th Olympic Games in Mexico City in 1968 as a member of the USSR national volleyball team.

Volodymyr Ivanovych can be considered a unique athlete, because, having come to the volleyball section in the 10th grade (before that, he was involved in football, track and field athletics (specialized in throwing), wrestling and basketball), he fulfilled the standard of “Masters of Sports of the USSR” for three years, and for six years he received a gold Olympic medal. The graduate of the Faculty of Physical Education (1969) (now the Educational and Research Institute of Physical Education and Sports) of the Luhansk Taras Shevchenko State Pedagogical Institute (now State Institution “Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National Universityˮ).

Volodymyr Bieiaiev played for the team “Avangard”  / “Zvezda” (Luhansk / Voroshilovgrad), wielded a heavy-duty direct attacking strike, more often attacked from the zone, “4ˮ, also carried out attacks from the back line, played excellently in defense. In the national team of the Ukrainian SSR, he was the Champion of the USSR and the winner of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR in 1967. Silver medalist of the All-Union Championship in 1972 and winner of the Cup of Cup Winners in 1973.

He became European champion as a member of the USSR national team in 1967, in 1968 – Olympic champion, and the Honored Master of Sports of the USSR in 1968.

He completed his playing career in May 1972. Later, Volodymyr Ivanovych worked as a trainer and teacher. In 1978, the volleyball team “Iskra” (Voroshilovgrad), which was coached by Volodymyr Beliaiev, won the silver medal of the USSR Championship.

In later years, he worked as a physical education teacher at the 26th school in Luhansk and deputy chairman of the regional physical culture and sports society “Kolos”. In recent years, Volodymyr Bieliaiev has been actively involved in the work of the Luhansk regional branch of the NOC of Ukraine: holds Olympic lessons in schools, meets with young people, promotes a healthy lifestyle, physical education and sports.

Educational and Research Institute
of Physical Education and Sports