Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina is a Russian politician and retired figure skater, who is the only pair skater to win 10 successive World Championships (1969–78) and three successive Olympic gold medals. She was elected to the State Duma in the 2007 legislative election as a member of President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party. As a figure skater, she initially competed with Alexei Ulanov and later teamed up with Alexander Zaitsev. She is the first pair skater to win the Olympic title with two different partners, followed only by Artur Dmitriev.
Oleg Vladimirovich Blokhin, or Oleh Volodymyrovych Blokhin, is a Ukrainian and Soviet former football player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of his generation, Blokhin was a standout striker for Dynamo Kyiv and the Soviet Union.
Natalia Oleksandrivna Godunko is a Ukrainian former rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2001 team all-around world champion, 2005 European ribbon champion and the 2004 Grand Prix Final all-around champion.
Irina Ivanivna Deriugina is a former Soviet individual rhythmic gymnast from Ukraine and Ukrainian coach in rhythmic gymnastics. She is the only Soviet rhythmic gymnast to win two all-around world titles, which she won in 1977 and 1979. Her mother, Albina, was her coach. Her success influenced the further development of rhythmic gymnastics in Kyiv.
Irina Natanovna Press was a multitalented Soviet athlete who competed at the 1960 and 1964 Olympics. In 1960, she won a gold medal in the 80 m hurdles and finished fourth in the 4 × 100 m relay. In 1964, she finished fourth in the hurdles and sixth in the shot put, but won gold in the newly introduced pentathlon event.
Oksana Valentinovna Skaldina is a retired Ukrainian individual rhythmic gymnast and current coach. She is the 1992 Olympic bronze medalist and 1991 all-around world champion.
Alexandra Alexandrovna Timoshenko, or Olexandra Olexandrivna Tymoshenko, is a former Ukrainian individual rhythmic gymnast who competed for the Soviet Union. She is the 1992 Olympics champion, 1988 Olympics bronze medalist, 1989 World all-around champion, 1991 World all-around silver medalist and two time European all-around champion. Along with Tatiana Gutsu, and Oleh Kucherenko, Oleksandra Tymoshenko also was among the first Olympians in honor of which at the 1992 Olympics was raised the Ukrainian flag and played the Ukrainian anthem.
Sports in Ukraine as in any other country throughout the World plays an important role in shaping the popular view of Ukraine and Ukrainian popular culture to its residents and the rest of the World. Sports in Ukraine while it is voluntary and spontaneous, it is regulated and standardized by the government and respected government agency as well as legislation. According to the Law of Ukraine "About physical culture and sports", sports is an activity of subjects of the sphere of physical culture and sport directed to identification and the unified comparison of achievements of people in physical, intellectual, and other preparation by holding sports competitions and preparation for them. The sport has such directions: children's sports, sports for children and young people, reserve sports, elite sports, professional sports, sports of veterans of physical culture and sport, veterans of war, the Olympic sport, not Olympic sport, office and applied and military and applied sport, sports of persons with disability and so forth.
The Deriugina School, also known as the Deriugins' School is a rhythmic gymnastics club in Kyiv, Ukraine. It was run for many years by the mother and daughter team of Albina Deriugina, who was the head coach for many years and died in 2023 at the age of 91, and Irina Deriugina, who acted as the assistant coach and later became the head coach. Irina's daughter, Iryna Blokhina, works in the school as a senior choreographer.
Alexei Nikolaevich Ulanov is a retired pair skater who represented the Soviet Union. With Irina Rodnina, he is the 1972 Olympic champion and a four-time (1969–1972) world champion. With his then-wife Lyudmila Smirnova, he is a two-time world silver medalist.
Iliana Raycheva Raeva-Sirakova is a Bulgarian gymnast who competed in modern rhythmic gymnastics for her country from 1978 to 1983 . She was one of the Golden Girls of Bulgaria that dominated Rhythmic Gymnastics in 1980s.
Vyacheslav Alekseyevich Zaytsev was a Russian volleyball player who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1976 Summer Olympics, the 1980 Summer Olympics, and the 1988 Summer Olympics. He was a setter.
Igor Aleksandrovich Novikov was a Soviet modern pentathlete and Olympic Champion. He competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, where he won a gold medal in the team competition (together with Aleksandr Tarasov and Ivan Deriuhin. He won a silver medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, and he competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where he won a gold medal in the team competition, and a silver medal in the individual competition.
Aleksandr Tarasov was a Soviet modern pentathlete and Olympic Champion. He competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, where he won a gold medal in the team competition (together with Ivan Deryugin and Igor Novikov, and placed eighth in the individual competition.
Alina Oleksandrivna Maksymenko is a retired individual rhythmic gymnast.
Alexander Vasilyevich Svinin is a Russian ice dancing coach and former competitor for the Soviet Union. With Olga Volozhinskaya, he is the 1983 European silver medalist, 1985 Skate Canada International champion, and competed at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.
Venera Zinurovna Zaripova is a former individual Soviet rhythmic gymnast. She is a two-time all-around silver medalist and 4-time gold medalist in the USSR Championships.
Nikolay Aleksandrovich Deryugin is a Georgian basketball player who competed in the 1980 Summer Olympics for the Soviet Union and won a bronze medal.
Iryna Olehivna Blokhina is a Ukrainian sportsperson, singer, and TV host. Director of the Legendary Deriugina School. Vice-President of Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation. She is rhythmic gymnastics, National Olympic team coach as well as choreographer. For over 20 years her body of work for the Ukrainian National Team has created an immense body of work for the popularization of the sport including introducing Gala into the competition program, introducing championship song and slogan.
Albina Nikolaevna Deriugina was a Soviet and Ukrainian rhythmic gymnastics coach. She trained her daughter Irina Deriugina to Olympic success and the two then became a very successful coaching team. She was made a Hero of Ukraine in 2002.
