Support The Moscow Times!

Russian World Champion Delivers Food to Raise Money for Tokyo Paralympics

Mikhail Astashov has said he needs 350,000 rubles ($5,600) to compete in the Paralympic qualifiers. astashov03 / Instagram, screenshot Znak Znak

A world paratriathlon champion from Russia has started working as a food delivery courier to raise money to compete in the 2020 Paralympics after regional sports officials allegedly failed to provide financial assistance, Russian media reported Monday.

Mikhail Astashov, 31, won the 2019 Paratriathlon World Cup. In November, Astashov told fellow athlete and newly minted federal lawmaker Anton Shipulin that he needed 350,000 rubles ($5,600) to attend the Paralympic qualifiers.

Sports officials in the Sverdlovsk region where Astashov lives “aren't particularly helping him” cover the costs of the Paralympic qualifying rounds, Telegram channels have reported.

Bystanders filmed Astashov wearing prosthetic legs and a delivery service uniform in Russia’s fourth-largest city of Yekaterinburg this week. The Russian tech giant Yandex’s food delivery arm told Russian media that Astashov’s first official workday began Sunday.

“He’s very motivated to work. He went on his first shift and completed his first deliveries,” Yandex Food told the TJournal.ru news website.

It noted that, despite his missing limbs, Astashov easily overcomes obstacles and is able to handle the equipment needed for delivery work. Yandex Food added that it employs people with disabilities in other Russian cities where it operates.

The Sverdlovsk region’s sports administration will provide Astashov the needed help to take part in the Paralympic qualifiers, the administration’s top official Leonid Rapoport said Tuesday.

“We found the resources for him to go through all the stages of preparation,” Rapoport told the state-run TASS news agency.

Russia’s republic of Buryatia, where Astashov was born and which he represents in national championships alongside Sverdlovsk, has the budget to support the athlete once he qualifies for the Paralympics, according to its chief of youth policy.

“I don’t consider myself a disabled person,” Astashov told the u-mama.ru website in a November interview.

Tokyo will host the Summer Paralympics between Aug. 25 and Sept. 6 this year.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more