On March 2, 2016, His Excellency Mr. Jean-Maurice Ripert, Ambassador of France in Russia, presented Andrey Filatov, President of the Russian Chess Federation, with the Legion of Honor.
The award ceremony took place in the building of the first chess museum in Russia, located at 14 Boulevard Gogol in Moscow.
The decree on conferring the title of Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honor to Andrey Filatov was earlier signed by the President of the French Republic François Hollande.
The President of the Russian Chess Federation has received the distinction for his contribution to development of bilateral relations between Russia and France. He became the first representative of the Russian sports world to be awarded the title of Knight of the Legion of Honor.
His Excellency Mr. Jean-Maurice Ripert said he was “pleased to present the award, which symbolizes France’s appreciation for an individual working on the rapprochement between our countries and our peoples. The Order of the Legion of Honor is the most prestigious award, established to reward eminent merit for the French nation, and you rightfully deserve this distinction. Your personal and professional life testifies to this.”
“This is a great honor for me”, says Andrey Filatov. “I am deeply grateful for this distinction and I am aware that it is above all a reward for the projects in the field of culture and sports. Therefore, I am also very grateful to all those who were essential to the implementation of those projects: my colleagues at the Russian Chess Federation and the Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the staff of the Embassy of France in Russia, representatives of the French authorities, as well as organizations that provided massive support to the organization of the Alekhine Memorial in the Louvre, the chess tournament in Normandy and many other projects. This high distinction rewards our work and creates a strong incentive to develop new projects in the fields of sport, culture and economy.”
Photos by Eteri Kublashvili and Vladimir Barsky
