Editor-in-chief of MK in Serpukhov Oksana Potapova and her family are among the best in Russia

The results of two large-scale all-Russian competitions, united by family themes, were summed up at the end of October. In the capital gathered the finalists of the competition of journalists “Family and the future of Russia — 2026”, which is held by the Foundation of Andrei the First-Called with the support of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University named after M. V. Lomonosov and the Endowment Fund “Origins”. This year, the competition received 695 applications from 77 regions of Russia. 302 authors reached the final, and the expert council identified 42 laureates in eight nominations. It is gratifying that the winner in the nomination “Internet-media” was a sickling – editor-in-chief of the network edition “MK in Serpukhov” Oksana Potapova.

- To hear at the final summing up of your name and the name of the publication was very unexpected, but very pleasant, admitted Oksana. The competition was serious: we competed with such large cities as Moscow, Voronezh, Tyumen. I consider this a general award of our publication, because behind each publication is the work of the entire team.

Oksana sent three materials to the competition, which were published in “MK in Serpukhov” and found a great response among readers. Two of them were dedicated to the families of the participants. The first is the history of the family of Hero of Russia Andrei Rodionov. Despite the hardships, this family takes care of animals: they sheltered several stray dogs and raccoons, rescued the monkey Maxim from difficult conditions, who now lives with them. The second material is about the mother of many children Margarita Zaitseva from Protvino, whose three sons went to SVO. This family is unique: all children are brought up in the spirit of patriotism, and grandfather Mikhail Nikolaevich played a great role in upbringing.

The third article was devoted to adaptive football in Serpukhov – a unique section in the FS Hawks, where special teenagers are engaged together with ordinary peers. Oksana herself knows firsthand what she writes about: she is the mother of a special child. At the conference in Moscow, she spoke as a journalist and as a parent.

- All workshops and round tables were held in the format of discussions, we could share our experience. I told you how important it is to show not only problems, but also happy families, because it creates a desire to create families for young people.

The second competition, the results of which were summed up on the same day, was “The Most Sports Family of Russia” under the auspices of the Ministry of Sports. The Potapov family took the third place and became the only one from the Moscow region, included in the number of prize-winners.

For the competition, Oksana edited a video with a story about her family herself. In the frame - their friendly team: dad Alexei (KMS rugby, hockey player), mother Oksana (KMS skiing and biathlon), son Misha (11 years old, football player) and daughter Sasha (12 years old, she has a complex pathology of vision and autism spectrum disorder). Everyone found sport to their liking: Oksana now plays football and runs, Alexey is engaged in hockey and motocross, Misha is fond of football. And Sasha managed to get involved in the sport thanks to the adaptive football section at the Hawks Sports School, the one about which the jury of the journalism contest “Family and the Future of Russia-2026” praised.

- Sport has taught us that boundaries exist only in our minds. And love, support and moving forward are stronger than any diagnosis, said Oksana. I am happy that I am involved in the emergence of a unique project in Serpukhov, where normotypical guys come out on the field next to special teenagers: they help, support, play together.

The jury of the contest “The Most Sports Family of Russia” included famous athletes, including gymnast and Olympic champion Alexei Nemov. It was they who awarded third place to the Potapov family from Serpukhov.

- For me, this award was more valuable than any personal one. This is our common, family victory, emphasizes Oksana. I hope that for someone we will become an example: with the birth of a special child, life does not end, it simply changes the vector. You can continue to lead an active lifestyle, and sport is the best assistant in this.