Sport Interest

Biography

Aleksey Stepanovich Barkalov

Dynamo (Kiev) playing coach, Honored Master of Sports in water polo, Honoured Coach of Ukraine.

Born on February 18, 1946 in the village of Vvedenka, Kharkov region.

1957 – began to play for society Dynamo (Kharkov)

From 1971 is the player of Dynamo (Kiev)

From 197 is the playing coach of Dynamo (Kiev)

For 16 years he played on the national team of the USSR

Coaches: Nikolai Shumarov, David Smagorinskii, Anatolii Blumental, Mikhail Avdeev.

Education: Higher (Kharkov Polytechnic Institute. Saratov High Command School of the Ministry of Internal Affairs).

Aleksey Barkalov scored 28 goals in his first big tournament – the Friendship Cup.

Champion of Europe (1970), Champion of the World (1975), Twice Olympic Champion (1972, 1980), Silver Winner of the Olympic Games in 1968.

Holder of the USSR Cup (1980), winner of the Spartakiada of the USSR Peoples (1971).

In 1980s – the chief coach of the youth team of Ukraine.

From 1990 to 1994 – the chief coach of Novi Sad (Yugoslavia).

From 1997 to 1999 – the President of the Water Polo Federation of Ukraine.

During his sport carrier Aleksey Barkalov participated in 412 matches as a member of the USSR national team. This result is registered in the Guinness Book of Records.

The legendary water polo player took part in four Olympic Games.

Rewarded by the Order of Friendship of Peoples, by the Cross “For the Service to the Motherland” of the 3rd degree (Ukraine), and by the Cross “For the Service” (Russia).

Aleksey Barkalov died on September 9, 2004. He is buried at the Baikov Cemetery in Kiev.

Interview with the Masters

The journalist of Our Product asked Mrs. Ludmila Barkalova, the widow of Aleksey Barkalov, the honoured doctor of Ukraine, and master of sports of the USSR, to tell about the establishment and development of the tournament.

Ludmila Barkalova: When Aleksey Barkalov passed away, we thought over how to honour the memory of such a great sportsman. We decided that the best memory of Mr. Barkalov would be a tournament named after him. The competitions have been held since 2005. We hold them with the support of the Ministry for Family, Youth and Sport. The biggest support of the tournament is provided by our general sponsor, international master of sports in water polo, champion of the USSR, and Chairman of the Advisory Council of the EDAPS Consortium, Yuri Sidorenko. He is one of the few people who care about water polo in Ukraine. This tournament is held due to his great support and attention. The national teams of England, France and Turkey were willing to come to the tournament. But the financial crisis interfered with the English and Turks; under the conditions of such tournaments the teams pay a participation fee and we host the event. The French were participating in the European qualification tournament during the time of the competition. They sent us a telegram with regrets and we had to change the entry list while preparing for the tournament. I am grateful to the Russian national team for their response. Also the decision was made to watch our reserve, therefore the two national teams of Ukraine participated in the competition. The tournament, held under the aegis of the Aquatics Federation, also featured the arrival of highly qualified judges from the technical water polo committee of the European Federation. It is a big responsibility for the managers.

OP: Mrs. Barkalova, you said that the Turks and English didn’t come because of the crisis. And what about our national team? How is it financed?

Ludmila Barkalova: The national team goes to competitions, but the quantity of players is different. Ukrainian national teams of various age groups qualified for the European competitions. For example, the national team will play test matches at the European Championship in Switzerland; youth have come to the final stage of the continent championship.

The Interview with the Masters

Mostly young water polo players were on the stage at the Palace of Underwater Sports, however, friends of Aleksey Barkalov came as well. I asked one of them – at present the leading specialist of the EDAPS Consortium, Nikolai Voitovich – to tell us what kind of person Aleksey Barkalov was.

Nikolai Voitovich: When I started to play water polo, this sport was very popular. Sport camps of different institutions – GorONO, DOSAAF, Lokomotiv, Spartak, Leninskaya Kuznya were set at the Matveev Gulf. At the beginning I was engaged in swimming. When my uncle put together a water polo team I came to him after my swimming practice and remained there. At that time there were six youth water polo teams in Kiev! We practiced in the Palace of Physical Culture near the Central Stadium. This Palace doesn’t exist any more, it was destroyed. Today there is one team Dynamo Kiev; my brother Aleksandr Voitovich coaches it soley on enthusiasm without any support. The city doesn’t finance it. Parents pay the rent for the swimming pool in Brovary and for participation in competitions. Moreover, parents have to pay a 40% tax from the money spent for children practice. This is the situation. But as long as there are such enthusiasts as Yuri Sidorenko, this sport will survive. In Ukraine there are children teams in Lvov, Kharkov, Sevastopol, Mariupol. In Mariupol the team is financed properly by the Illich plant. I played on the same team with Barkalov since 1971. At that time any team would have been proud of such a sportsman as Barkalov. The national team player of the USSR had to play on the major league class A team. But Kharkov team where Barkalov participated wasn’t included in the major league, so he was taken to Kiev.

OP: There was a tendency to take national team players to Moscow…

NV: Yes. Barkalov was the only Ukrainian in the national team of the USSR. All his life Barkalov was a leader. I remember him from youth Dynamo Kharkov. Even then he was a leader. Being a second league player he was invited to the national team of the USSR and immediately became a leader there. Even his competitors said "If there is no Barkalov, it is not the USSR national team." Such people are born once in a century; God gave him great abilities in water polo. A monument was put up to him during his lifetime, but in the United States.

OP: Why in the United States? Why not in our country?

NV: There is a museum there of famous sportsmen. The monument to Barkalov stands next to the Pele monument. Barkalov’s name is registered in the Guinness Book of World Records. He participated in four Olympic Games, won 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal. He played on the national team of the Soviet Union for 16 years.

OP: Could you comment the tournament results?

NV: The national team of Russia consists mostly of Shturm team players, one of the strongest teams not only in Russia but in Europe as well. Last year the Russian team won first place at the Barkalov tournament, but this time the Ukrainians won the gold medals. Our team without any doubt has become stronger this year and plays better now. It makes me glad that Viktor Bondarenko, one of the leaders, returned to the team. In the plans for the next year there are changes to the tournament format, transforming it from a competition of national teams to a competition of European club teams.