Moscow fitness contribution to the London Olympic program

Moscow view

NIKOLAY FOKHT is dissatisfied with the way the Russian capital prepared for the London Olympics. We can say that Moscow has withdrawn itself from participation in this major event: the Olympics 80 club is closed, the menu of fast food restaurants does not even contain a hint of involvement in the Olympic movement of our time. However, if the Games program had been decorated with a bocce tournament, many of the shortcomings could have been overlooked.

I am dissatisfied with the way Moscow prepared for the Olympic Games in London. What the... Litmus test, rapid test - this is McDonald's. The chefs of this fast restaurant always release a signature sandwich for a big sporting event. There was some kind of "grik" to Athens, wasn't there? What about London?

At first I thought that the “champion’s breakfast” was just an Olympic mark. At night I stopped at a point on Leningradka to provide myself with breakfast. I’m standing at the counter, looking for Olympic symbols. It’s not there, but the champion’s breakfast is some old burgers, I didn’t eat it only with shrimp, for some reason it’s Italian. I respect McDonald's, but even out of respect I will never eat anything with shrimp in Moscow. Moreover, all this has nothing to do with London. And the logo of this breakfast is somehow decadent, not at all victorious: weightlifting plates on a saggy bar. Brrr...

Or sports clubs. Well, of course, I wanted to watch the broadcasts at the “Olympiad 80”, which is on Olympic Avenue, which is on Mira Avenue - everything is so Olympic, everything is so familiar. And most importantly, “Olympics 80” is included in the Moscow top twenty where you can watch the Games. So what? On the club’s website it is written in black and white that the establishment will not be open from tomorrow.

There is a club "London" on Vernadsky (we'll check), the fan zone will open on Saturday (we'll cheer) - but how can we survive until Saturday?

You can if you put lenses in your eyes and go to your sports club. I always do this - glasses are not good, they fly off her head if you hit her with the ball. Even if you don’t hit, it’s more comfortable with lenses. And good eyesight is necessary in fitness in order to watch a TV set that is tuned to sports during training. I remember a couple of years ago, a beautiful girl invited me to work out. The girl had a guest pass to a good gym, and she still didn’t know me well and wasn’t aware of my background. I even mean marital status to a lesser extent - the girl didn’t know that I was a fan. She was flirting and flirting inside the gym, and I responded as best I could with good stretching and a variety of exotic warm-up exercises. But when it came to the treadmill, above which the monitor hung, all her passes and chickens became meaningless: Dynamo was playing in the final of the hockey cup. The fact is that track sports are very good to watch. It’s as if you are joining the game, participating in all the twists and turns. And the running goes unnoticed, running on the track is a joy. And that time I somehow connected, although I programmed the simulator at 11 km/h and set it to rough terrain. Out of the corner of my ear I heard the girl’s fading chirping, but after five minutes I disconnected from her. I lasted two periods with a break. And then he just caught himself, out of politeness he stopped running and looked at his companion. There was horror in her eyes. “Well, you’re a monster,” she barely said. I take it she was referring to my running endurance. We never saw each other again and never trained together: when registering at the club, she took my passport and probably looked at the marital status page.

Well, so, as usual, I stood on the path and began to watch football, Spain - Japan. Forty-five minutes flew by in one breath, although their pace was still rather weak. I had no doubt that the Japanese would beat the Spaniards, even though Mata was playing there.

What about Mata? Olympic football is specific, enthusiasm is important here - the Japanese have it in abundance. Hit and run - what's wrong? In Olympic football, the laws of backyard play begin to apply: tough joints, a lot of conversations in the clearing, strange goalkeepers - well, just like before, in the schoolyard they put in goal someone who doesn’t know how to play in the field. I watched the second half in the rocking chair. It's a pity the Japanese haven't scored more heels - that would have been fair and cool.

After an intense workout - recovery measures.

The masseuse Svetlana looked at my unobvious back relief with disbelief and, it seemed to me, sarcastically asked:

- Why are you worried?

I explained as best I could that it was an old back injury.

“Your back is big,” Svetlana continued. “What exactly?”

- Lower back. - I abandoned the specific terminology and tried to say it simply and heartfeltly.

Svetlana began her work.

“That’s when a couple of days ago I watched how they were seeing off... Our team to the Olympics.” And someone from the sports committee or whatever it’s called now says: that’s it, now this team is under our responsibility. Where were you before, good gentlemen?

- In what sense?

- Well, in what sense, in Arshavin’s sense. They play there for our money, receive a salary, but have no responsibility. What did they think before and didn’t take responsibility?

With these words, Sveta pressed me hard into the massage table.

“But there is football, and here is the Olympics,” I exhaled. “Different things.”

“I’m not sure,” and pressed again.

Here I gave up. Or he could remind her that it’s not the state that pays the prize money, but all sorts of private structures. So no one touched Sveta’s taxes. Moreover, Sveta is from Lugansk, and her money went, at best, to Blokhin and Voronin. But it’s difficult for me to argue with this young woman for two reasons. The first is Sveta, a prize-winner at the Junior World Weightlifting Championship (five or six years ago) with strong arms, legs and an explosive temperament. The second - a couple of years ago, she very competently accompanied my injury with various physical therapy: a tear in the back of the thigh. As a result of the course massage, I restored my right sartorius muscle not in two, but in one week. She, Sveta, is great.

I was already hurrying home to watch Brazil and Egypt in a calm atmosphere, when quite by chance I discovered an advertisement next to the buffet: “You don’t have to go to London to become a champion!” It turns out that my club hosts alternative games! This is definitely for me. I began to carefully study the schedule, wondering where and in which team my place was. A woman at a cafe table, wearing a fitness club uniform, smiled at me.

— Do you want to participate? Welcome!

With a dazzling smile, it seemed to me that she even tried to bow to the ground while sitting.

- I would like to play football...

— The team has already been recruited.

- Well then... But what is “bocha”?

“Well, how can I tell you,” the woman fidgeted in her chair. “I don’t know for sure, but it seems to me that it’s something like that... In general, we need to throw balls in the sand.”

- And so that they are as close as possible to the small ball?

- Yes Yes Yes! — the interlocutor was delighted.

- So this is petanque.

For some reason the woman in uniform blushed:

- What are you... Although I’m not good at this, about balls. The main thing is that you come. There will be fun and a buffet.

Petanque - here's my chance! Few people know that petanque sought to make an Olympic presentation in London, but, as far as I understand, rugby and golf blocked its path, they are most likely to be the new Olympic sports in Rio. I played petanque twice, I can do it. And I have also identified mixed beach volleyball for myself - there is one candidate that can be attracted... No, this is not Sveta: for some reason weightlifting is not yet included in the Games program in my Moscow fitness center.

Nikolay Focht

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