XVII International wrestling competitions for the prizes of the three-time Olympic champion Buvaysar Saytiev took place in the Multifunctional Sports Complex "Sopka" last weekend.

The tournament was attended by young wrestlers under the age of 18, with appropriate training in the discipline of freestyle wrestling. The competition included 11 weight categories. Athletes from Mongolia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia competed for medals.

— I'm from Mongolia. This is my first time in Siberia. I was impressed by the level of Russian athletes. Here, freestyle wrestling starts from an early age. I had a tough time, since my rivals are very strong, so I only managed to becom the 5th, – admitted athlete from Mongolia Gan-Yerdene Baatarhuu. 

Russia was represented by freestyle wrestlers from 24 regions: the Khabarovsk Region, the Republics of Bashkortostan, Dagestan, Buryatia, the Amur Region, the Moscow Region, the Kemerovo Region and many others. The honor of the Krasnoyarsk Region was defended by 43 athletes. Bogdan Antonyak managed to climb the podium; he took third place in the category up to 71 kilograms. According to the results of the tournament, the Dagestan team won the most medals (9 gold medals).

Mayor Vladislav Loginov attended the opening ceremony of the tournament. He noted that freestyle wrestling for Krasnoyarsk is one of the priority sports. It was here, in this city, that such famous champions as Ivan Yarygin and Buvaisar Saytiev grew up:

— These international competitions are a tradition of sports in Krasnoyarsk, a unique opportunity for young athletes to prove themselves and achieve the best results. Moreover, there is someone for them to look up to.

This year our compatriot, three-time champion of the Olympic Games Buvaysar Saytiev visited the tournament. During the opening ceremony, he shook hands with the representatives of the teams and wished each wrestler good luck. For two days, the famous athlete watched the fights and gave instructions to the participants, explained the mistakes, and then held an autograph session:

— I would like to recall the words that my coach Dmitri Mindiashvili constantly told me. The task of a coach and mentor is not only raising a physically strong champion. The task of the coach is also to raise a worthy citizen. I hope the kids will become just like that.