The results of the first National Competition of Sports Media Industry Leaders were announced in a special episode of Vse na Match! (Everyone to the Game) on November 4. The competition was timed to Match TV’s 5th birthday, and hosts Dmitry Guberniev and Sofya Tartakova announced the winners in 11 nominations.
The winners were determined based on an open vote that began on October 14 and closed on November 3 on the competition’s official website and in social networks. Special jury votes made up of prominent Russian athletes and industry insiders were also taken into account.
Hockey player Alexander Ovechkin was named Most Popular Male Athlete, receiving 46.41% of the votes. Most Popular Female Athlete was figure skater Alina Zagitova, with 33.86% of the votes. Tennis player Daniil Medvedev was named the Best Freshman as an athlete who recently made a major breakthrough. Head of the Russian national football team Stanislav Cherchesov was named Most Popular Coach, while soccer was recognized as the most talked about sport.
Dmitry Guberniev won two nominations: Most Popular Commentator and Viral Video Hero. Another Match TV commentator, Nobel Arustamyan, earned Most Popular Written Sports Blog, while Match TV expert Andrey Arshavin won in the Digital Footprint category, which recognizes athletes who have retired, but remain high in demand and often cited in the media.
Former Match TV host Evgeny Savin received an award as the creator of the Most Popular YouTube Sports Content,” and sports.ru was named the Most Popular Sports Website.