25. Dezember 2004  
Kiev / Ukraine  
Artistic Gymnastics

Stella Zakharova elected President of Ukrainian Gymnastics

Stella ZACHAROVA
- New Gymnastics President in Ukraine!

Two days before the Ukraine will hold a national presidential election, the Ukraine changed also the gymnastics president:
On Friday, Stella Zakharova, the Olympic gold medalist, Moscow 1980 , was elected president of the Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation. So the thus far president Igor Korobchinsky was beaten by two votes (49 : 51)...

Igor Korobchinsky - vote out!

The 1996 Olympic parallel bars champion for Ukraine, Rustam Sharipov, told 'International Gymnast', that the elections were done by silent ballot for the first time. Sharipov said that in the past, election results were determined by a show of hands or verbal vote.
International Gymnast' reports, that Zakharova was a member of the Soviet team which won the gold medal at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. The Odessa native also won the all-around titles at the World Cup in 1979 and 1980. For the past several years, she has sponsored an international tournament - the Stella Zakharova Cup - in Kiev. She is married to former soccer star Viktor Khlus, who is now the head coach of Kiev's 'Arsenal' team.
Korobchinsky, the 1989 world all-around champion, was elected as president after the 2000 Olympic Games. He replaced longtime president Lyudmila Turischeva, the 1972 Olympic champion.
The Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation is the governing body for all gymnastics in Ukraine, including artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline, tumbling, and sports acrobatics.
Source: International Gymnast