Lavrov ... People with such a name are already destined to rest on their laurels. It so happened that one owner of such a "loud" name became the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the other a famous actor. But there are also two equally famous Lavrovs - Olympic champions in one team. The first - the goalkeeper, was recognized as one of the best in the history of handball. The second one was even the Minister of Sports in his native land. It will be discussed in this article.
Igor Lavrov. Facts from the biography
Igor was born on June 4, 1973 in one of the largest cities of our country - Stavropol (Stavropol Territory). Father - Victor Georgievich, Honored Coach of Russia in Handball. He strictly raised his son and trained him so that he would not stagger in childhood wherever he fell.
From an early age, discipline and team spirit gave a good foundation, brought up a real masculine strong-willed character. Until the age of 19, Igor Lavrov played for the team of his city, Stavropol. Since 1992, he began playing for the Caustic team (Volgograd). Since 1993, he was a member of the CSKA team (Moscow). He became the world champion among the army, in 1995 he joined the national team of Russia. In 1996 he won the European Championship. The following year 1997, at the World Championships in Japan, defeating the Swedish team in the final with a score of 23:21, Russian handball players won a gold medal.
Life in a foreign land
In 1998, Igor Lavrov, having signed a contract with the Bundesliga, leaves for Germany with his family. There, the athlete won the national cup, speaking for the teams of Hamburg, Flensburg and Valau-Masenheim. As the handball player himself says, it was a trip to work, where there simply were more fees than in our country. At the same time, there were ideal conditions for preparing for the future, fateful for Lavrov’s life, Olympics.
Dreams Come True
Each athlete's cherished dream is to receive the status of an Olympic champion. At its first Olympics in Atlanta (1996), the Russian team was only in 5th place (the team from Croatia became the champion). But four years later, in the autumn September evening of 2000 in Sydney, Igor Lavrov's dream came true.
Again, as at the World Cup in 1997, the national teams of Russia and Sweden came together in the finals of the Olympic Games. Our men did not disappoint, they gained their Olympic gold with a two-point margin of 28:26.
During his sports career, Igor Lavrov repeatedly won champion titles and became the owner of various European cups. Also, the team with his participation went to the prize places of world championships and international championships many times.
Igor Lavrov is still considered the best point guard in the world handball ranking.
Education
Returning to his homeland with his family in 2007, the handball player continues his sports activities, but already in the political arena. Having a pedagogical education (in 1994 he graduated from the Stavropol Pedagogical Institute with a degree in Physical Education and Sport), Igor graduated from the second higher educational institution - North Caucasus State University with a degree in State and Municipal Administration.
Social and political activities
Having experience and a special vision of the development of sports abroad, Igor Lavrov is trying to apply some of his achievements in his hometown. Since 2011, in the city Duma of the city of Stavropol, he has been the chairman of the committee on social policy.
Since 2013, Igor Lavrov - Minister of Sports and Physical Education in the Stavropol Territory. The handball player succeeded the athlete Alexander Grebenyuk. Lavrov is trying to create a “backbone” of former champions and raise the sport in his homeland even to the former heights of the times of the USSR.
But in our country, unfortunately, there is not such funding for sports as abroad. Yes, and many athletes are forced to earn extra money on the side to feed their families. Sponsors do not particularly want to spend money on development because it costs them double taxes. In other countries, for this they, on the contrary, are reduced taxation and provide additional benefits.
Sports Minister Igor Lavrov tried to do everything possible that was in his power according to the place, time and circumstances at that time. Three ministers were replaced before him in four years. Lavrov was constantly looking for support and found it only among retired sports veterans. After two years of struggle for his ideas, the handball player resigned his ministerial powers.
Special merits
Lavrov Igor Viktorovich is married, has two daughters in marriage. Prefers not to talk about his family.
Being a deputy of the city Duma of the seventh convocation of the city of Stavropol and a member of the United Russia party, he continues his active sports and social political activities, holding the position of adviser to the director in the postal service of the Stavropol Territory (representative office of Russian Post in the region).
He is also the president of the public organization “Handball club of the city of Stavropol Dynamo-Victor”. He was awarded both the Olympic and the medal "For Merit to the Fatherland" of the second degree.
He is an honorary citizen of his hometown of Stavropol. Igor Lavrov did a lot for his homeland. Handball here, we can say, develops to a greater extent thanks to this amazing personality.