Magomedkhan Aratsilov: “Under the USSR, my mother received 30 rubles. I can’t tell if it’s good or bad.”

World champion and Olympic medalist in Moscow 1980 in freestyle wrestling Magomedkhan Aratsilov in an interview “SE” shared his opinion about the standard of living in the USSR.

“We had a difficult childhood, post-war. They lived in need, walked barefoot, helped the collective farm. There were many widows, they were helped. Father was a teacher, mother was a nurse. Salary – 30 rubles. They lived on them, plus there were two cows. On the collective farm they worked almost for free. We ate our fill only when we had guests. For our guests, we had both sausage and sweets. Although we didn’t see much sweets. Candy was not seen.

Sugar was so hard, they ate it with tongs. Sugar sand – it was too chic. First of all, the guests were treated, then, if there was anything left – to us. I only tried chocolate for the first time in the city, in the mountains we had cocoa pads. Once my uncle came from the district center and gave me 30 kopecks. I went to buy pillows and ate them to the full, I was very satisfied and happy.

At that time, only teachers, paramedics and officials received salaries from us. The rest – collective farmers – received only workdays. You work all day and you won’t even earn 10 kopecks. But they created collective farms. The Soviet system had specific problems, of course. The older generation praises him, but I’m 50/50 to him, I can’t say if he’s good or bad.”

Aratsilov became world champion in 1978 in Mexico, winning gold in the 82 kg category. Two years later, at the Games in Moscow, the wrestler took silver, losing in the decisive fight of the 5th round to the Bulgarian Ismail Abilov.