DUSHANBE, February 5, 2013, Asia-Plus -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will provide Olympic grants for training two Tajik athletes for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Murodali Teshayev, a spokesman for Tajikistan’s National Olympic Committee (NOC), told Asia-Plus in an interview.

According to him, the grants will be provided to Tajik alpine skiers Andrey Drygin and Sohibnazar Tursunmurod.

Sohibnazar Tursunmurod is champion of Tajikistan in alpine skiing.  He has participated in international competitions in Iran and Kazakhstan.  

Andrei Drygin, 36, is the most experienced Tajik alpine skier.  Drygin was the flag-bearer and only representative of Tajikistan at the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics. He also competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver as the only competitor again but was not the flag bearer.  In 2002, he competed in the giant slalom and Super-G, and failed to finish in either event.  In 2006, he finished 51st in the downhill event, with a time of 1:59.41, failed to finish the giant slalom, and finished 51st in the Super-G, with a time of 1:37.85.