Personal Life
Protopopov was raised by his mother, a professional dancer, and his stepfather, a poet. He graduated from Herzen University, faculty of physical education.
Belousova and Protopopov married in 1957. Although she kept her maiden name after their marriage, the pair are commonly referred to as "The Protopopovs".
On 24 September 1979, Belousova and Protopopov defected to Switzerland while on tour and applied for political asylum. They received Swiss citizenship in 1995. Switzerland remains their winter home while their summer home and training center is Lake Placid, New York.
Read more about this topic: Oleg Protopopov
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