At the funeral of Alexey Cherepanov in Omsk, October 15, 2008
Photo: Viktor Golub
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Soccer Prodigy Laid to Rest
The funeral was held yesterday in Omsk for Alexey Cherepanov, 19-year-old hockey forward for the Avangard team who died of heart failure during a match on Monday. A service held in the Omsk Arena sports complex was attended by Cherepanov’s teammates Jaromir Jagr and Anton Kuryanov. Cherepanov’s parents decided he should be buried in Omsk, rather than his native village of Ozerki, Altai Territory.
The coffin was taken to Staro-Severnoe Cemetery, where more than 1000 people had already gathered in the rain. People also climbed onto the roofs of the garages and other buildings surrounding the cemetery. Members of the Omsk Cadet Corps accompanied the hearse. Omsk Region Governor and member of the Avangrad supervisory board Leonid Polezhaev spoke. “Lyosha was beloved here and will be beloved for many decades,” Pozhelaev assured the deceased young man’s parents. Rodion Tukhvatulin, vice president of the Continental Hockey League, said that Cherepanov’s name was on the list of candidates for the Russian national hockey team. Avangard captain Alexander Svitov said that Cherepanov’s number (7) would be retired.
Moscow Region Health Minister Vladimir Semenov accused Avangard coaches of “allowing an absolutely sick person into the game” against team Vityaz in the town of Chekhov, outside Moscow. It took an ambulance 20 minutes arrive after Cherepanov lost consciousness at the game and it later became known that doctors lacked the necessary equipment to treat him. The investigative committee of the Prosecutor General’s Office is investigating the death of the player. The committee has stated that Cherepanov’s blood will be tested for evidence of doping.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Oct. 16, 2008
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