28 December 2022

Roscongress Foundation’s Sporting Platform Summed Up 2022

The Roscongress Foundation’s sports platform, RC-Sport, held over 90 events in 23 athletic disciplines in the past year. Athletes from 25 countries took part in the sports programmes of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and Eastern Economic Forum, held under the new SPIEF Sport Week and Vladivostok Open brands.

“The Roscongress Foundation supports priority areas of sports development in the context of sanctions, shaping and promoting this agenda at major economic forums. In systematic cooperation with the Ministry of Sport and all-Russian sports federations, we have implemented a whole range of activities aimed at strengthening international cooperation, introducing new tournaments, supporting Russian national team leaders, and developing corporate, mass, and school sports. This cooperation will be expanded in the new year,” emphasized Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation.

Roscongress supported international boxing, rowing, and judo tournaments at WEF and SPIEF. Tokyo 2020 rowing medallists Anna Prakaten and Zhang Liang led the Russian and Chinese teams in the regatta at the Vladivostok Open. Another Tokyo 2020 medallist, Muslim Hajimagomedov, captained the Russian boxing team in a match against the Asian championship medallists from Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, and India. In the Yawara Challenge judo tournament at the SPIEF, Yawara-Neva again defeated Serbia’s Crvena Zvezda as in the final of the 2021 Champions League. Judokas from 8 countries took part in the 10th Anatoly Rakhlin Cup. Cooperation with the all-Russian boxing, judo and rowing federations will continue in the new year.

The topic of new scenarios for international cooperation at SPIEF formed the basis of the session ‘Sport without barriers’, initiated by the outstanding rhythmic gymnastics coach Irina Viner. Gao Zhidan, head of the Chinese State Administration of Physical Education and Sports, expressed via video his interest in expanding cooperation between the countries. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, Aide to the Russian President Igor Levitin and Minister of Sport Oleg Matytsin took part in the session.

The Ministry of Sport pavilion was presented at SPIEF for the first time, becoming a platform for dialogue between sport and business. The ‘Sport – a vital norm’ and ‘Arena GTO’ pavilions were sports centres of attraction at the EEF. Interaction with the Ministry of Sport will be expanded in the new year.

It was the first time that the leaders of the Russian national teams took such an active part in the SPIEF and EEF events. Tokyo 2020 winners Nikita Nagorny and Evgeny Rylov kicked off the SPIEF run and, together with multiple world champions Dina and Arina Averina, led a session entitled ‘Champions: From Medal to Brand” and met with SPIEF Junior participants. Olympic champion Liliya Akhaimova led the charge and took to the start of EEF and the Russian Labour Safety Week races. 14 top athletes, including three-time Olympic champion Alexandra Patskevich and two-time Olympic gold medallists Roman Vlasov and Vitalina Batsarashkina, took part in RC-Sport’s Moscow–Kemerovo road tour in support of the Russia as a Sports Power Forum. Interaction with the athletes is conducted within the framework of the cooperation agreement between RC-Sport and the Russian National Team Training Centre.

At the initiative of the Roscongress Foundation, the tradition of running races at SPIEF and EEF was renewed. For the first time, the run at SPIEF 2022 included corporate scoring as well as inclusive and charitable components. Support for the Amur tiger was the theme of the race in Vladivostok. The race was held for the first time during the Russian Labour Safety Week. A total of around 2,000 people took to the start in St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, and Sirius.

Twelve members of the Russian Government, State Duma deputies, and heads of regions took part in gala matches and tournaments of Roscongress Cup in hockey, football, basketball, table tennis, and golf. Meanwhile, the hockey match and sailing regatta at SPIEF Sport Week were the venues for the presentation of examples of import substitution – professional clubs and yachts made in Russia. And golf tournaments were for discussion of tourism. The basketball gala-match at SPIEF was the first step in implementing the cooperation agreement with Zenit FC, the winner of the VTB United League. The match took place at the Sibur Arena, the home ground of the Russian champion. The Evening Table Tennis League tournament at EEF was held as part of the agreement between RC-Sport and the Table Tennis Federation. A new programme of Private Sport events for 2023 was formed for successful people from different spheres.

The Roscongress Foundation’s sports platform assisted in organizing the logistics for the Russian junior team to the Russian-Chinese Winter Youth Games in Changchun. “RC-Sport acted as the operator of competitions in which sport became a bridge of friendship between the countries – the CIS School Sport Festival in Ufa and the World Games of Young Compatriots in Moscow. “RC-Sport is also the organizer of the awards ceremony for the International Sports Film Festival, World Skating Day, The Bowl international street sports tournament and the FitExpo fitness festival held in Moscow.

The Roscongress Cup, a traditional equestrian tournament at SPIEF, has been continued at EEF 2022. In the new year, with the support of the Roscongress Foundation, the Victory Cup in equestrian sport will be held, bringing together some 50 tournaments in different regions of the country.

Also in the outgoing year, the RC-Sport car team was established, which made its debut in the Classic Touring Cup professional series, rally races and set one of the records at the Baikal Mile 2022 speed festival. RC-Sport also won the Grand Tour Baikal Mile and Baltic Mile 2022.

For more information about RC-Sport projects, go to t.me/Sport_Roscongress.

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