MOSCOW, Russia, November 28, 2018—International Fencing Federation (FIE) President Alisher Usmanov has been awarded the Russian Order “For Merit to the Fatherland” during a state ceremony presented by President Vladimir Putin in the Catherine Hall of the Kremlin.
The Russian Order was bestowed upon Mr. Usmanov “…for his enormous contribution to the development of the Russian economy, culture and sports”. The “For Merit to the Fatherland” Order (Grade III) was also awarded to Irina Viner-Usmanova, wife of Mr. Usmanov.
“Today I express my deep gratitude to the President for such a high appreciation not only from myself, but also from the team, all the athletes of the International Fencing Federation, which I currently head, and on behalf of all employees of two huge holdings, Metalloinvest and MegaFon”, said Mr. Usmanov during the ceremony. “Fortunately, I also have the opportunity to give many thanks for your great fraternal support from my compatriots, all the ordinary citizens of Uzbekistan, where I was born, and from the President of the country, Mr. Mirziyoyev. We deeply appreciate that Russia continues to play the role, predetermined by God, to preserve the human soul on one-sixth of its land.”