On September 11, 2026, the solemn events of the Russian Paralympic Committee "Heroes of the Motherland — Heroes of Sports" were held on Poklonnaya Gora in Moscow, honoring veterans of a special military operation who achieved high sporting results at national and interregional competitions and made a significant contribution to the popularization and development of the national Paralympic movement.
The events were supported by the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation, the Russian Sports Foundation and the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports.
The celebrations began with a thanksgiving prayer service at the Church of the Great Martyr George the Victorious, the patriarchal Compound on Poklonnaya Gora. The divine service was performed by the rector of the church, Archpriest Andrey Galukhin, and a member of the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports, the confessor of the Russian Paralympic national team, Priest Georgy Dekhtyarev.
At the service, a prayer was offered for the fallen soldiers. At the end of the prayer service, Priest Georgy Dekhtyarev sprinkled all those gathered with consecrated water. The participants of the prayer service venerated the relics of the Great Martyr George the Victorious.
Then the honored guests went to the Eternal Flame. The participants of the event honored the memory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War and laid flowers at the foot of the monument.
In the evening of the same day, the solemn ceremony of awarding the sports prize of the Russian Paralympic Committee "Heroes of the Motherland — Heroes of Sports" took place at the Victory Museum on Poklonnaya Gora. The laureates of the ceremony were veterans of a special military operation who achieved the highest results at All-Russian competitions and became an example for soldiers who were seriously injured.
18 laureates were awarded in ten nominations.
With the blessing of Metropolitan Mitrofan of Murmansk and Monchegorsk, Chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports, a member of the Patriarchal Commission, confessor of the Russian Paralympic Committee, Priest Georgy Dekhtyarev, took part in the award ceremony.