February 24, 1998 - LUKOIL President Vagit Alekperov has given a reception in honor of the Russian national women's Nordic skiing team which emerged victorious from the Winter Olympic Games in Nagano.

The Russian women's team, comprising Larisa Lazutina, Yelena Vyalbe, Nina Gavrylyuk, Olga Danilova and Yulia Chepalova, was the best in all of the five events - 5, 10, 15 and 30-kilometer race and relay race, winning a total of five gold medals (of the nine medals won by Russia), two silver medals and one bronze medal, and becoming the world's best Nordic skiing team.

LUKOIL provided financial support for the women's skiing team thus contributing to its preparations for the Olympic Games.

"Now that the Russian athletes are experiencing definite difficulties - a shortage of funds and the absence of training facilities meeting international standards, our company was happy to support outstanding Russian skiers and will broaden cooperation with the Russian Nordic Skiing Federation," Alekperov said congratulating the Russian skiers.

Within the framework of this cooperation, LUKOIL will give financial support to the Russian women's Nordic skiing team at the final stage of the Nordic Skiing World Cup to be held in Lahti (Finland), Falun (Sweden) and Oslo (Norway) on March 7 to 15, 1998, and place a comfortable bus at its disposal.

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