Taras Khtey
Taras Khtey (Тарас Юрьевич Хтей; born 1982) is a Russian former volleyball player, an outside hitter who captained Russia to the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics and later served as a senator in the Federation Council of Russia representing Belgorod Oblast.1
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982, Zabuzhzhia, Sokal district, Lviv region, Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine)2 |
| Playing position | Outside hitter (opposite spiker at times); height 205 cm, spike reach 347 cm, block reach 325 cm3 • 4 |
| Olympic medals | Gold, London 2012; bronze, Athens 2004, both for Russia1 |
| Main club | Belogorie Belgorod, 2008–2017, wearing number 42 • 4 |
| Major club titles | Russian champion 2001 and 2013; CEV Champions League 2014; CEV Cup 2009; FIVB Club World Championship 20142 |
| Post-playing roles | Sports director of VC Belogorie from June 2017; senator from Belgorod Oblast, 27 June 2024 to September 20252 |
Early life and move to Russia
Khtey was born in the village of Zabuzhzhia in the Lviv region of what was then the Ukrainian SSR.2
Obtaining Russian citizenship required a marriage of convenience: Verbova was even prepared to adopt the young player, but his mother objected, and Khtey instead married a Moscow State University student whom, by his own account, he saw only twice, at the registration and the divorce.6
Playing career
He won a second Russian championship with Belogorie in 2012/13, then the CEV Champions League and the FIVB Club World Championship in 2014, the latter in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where Belogorie reached the final against Al-Rayyan of Qatar.2 • 4
Post-playing career and politics
In June 2017 Khtey was appointed sports director of VC Belogorie, a post he held until 2021, and on 30 August 2017 he was elected president of the Belgorod regional volleyball federation.2 As a volleyball official he has spoken publicly about the return of Russian teams to international competition after their suspension from 2022.5
Honors
Khtey was named an Honored Master of Sports of Russia in 2004, received the Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" II class in 2007, and the Order of Friendship on 13 August 2012 for his contribution to sport and the London Olympic victory.2 Sources differ on his playing measurements: the CEV, Olympedia, and Volleybox list 205 cm, while Sports.ru and Ruwiki list 207 cm and 109 kg.4 • 1 • 3
References
- Taras Khtey, Olympedia
- Хтей Тарас, VC Belogorie official site
- Taras Khtey, Volleybox
- Taras KHTEY, player details, CEV
- Тарас Хтей: «Надеюсь, что со следующего сезона российские волейболисты активно ворвутся на международную арену», Rambler/Sports.ru
- Тарас Хтей: «Каждый раз ты должен доказывать, что достоин стоять на площадке», Газета «Наш Белгород»
Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Indoor volleyball › Volleyball players › Soviet and Russian volleyball players
Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026
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