Along with deciding upon the best athletes among teams of diplomats, international organization representatives and mass media, the 24th Summer Diplomatic Games were a celebration of warm friendly communication and family recreation.
Theatre and film actor Vasily Slinkin became the face and the voice of the entertainment program, acting as a guide to the sea realm, the topic the packed 24th Summer Diplomatic Games agenda was focused on.
The host introduced visitors to the Goldfish, the Main Administration for Service to the Diplomatic Corps (GlavUpDK) sporting culture mascot designed by Evgeny Lyubarsky, Deputy Director of the Economic Department. The program participants had a chance to demonstrate the depth of their knowledge of sea and ocean inhabitants and win a stuffed festival mascot. Everyone was invited to make photographs in a fancy theme area, the realm of the Goldfish.
It was not at random that the sea realm was not chosen as the main theme of the fest. The Food Map of Russia Federal project, a partner of GlavUpDK and its leader and organizer, Ekaterina Shapovalova, presented the Russian ports cities festival called 5 Seas, 3 Oceans to the guests and participants of the Games. The fest followed the idea pioneered by one of the biggest events of this summer, the gastro fest of the same name that took place for the first time in Vladivostok for the Navy Day.
Guests of Zavidovo were introduced to traditional Russian seafood dishes: three types of fish soup, Baltic style potatoes and Navy style pasta. The food was presented by Vladivostok fest participants and headliners of the Food Map of Russia project: Sergey and Yulia Biksaleev, owners of Teribersky Bereg tourist resort (Murmansk Region) with their cooks team, Anna Netyagina, founder of A.Family Group, the largest restaurant holding in Sochi, Svetlana Bokova, founder of Kamchatsky Dom production and retail network (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky) and Elena Marinko, founder of Syty-Bury bakery (Kostroma Region).
Ekaterina Shapovalova’s plan was to let the guests take a voyage around Russian port cities and get acquainted with the gastronomy of our sea-bordering regions, local cuisines, food of indigenous peoples and local products.
The Games participants and sportsmen support groups were offered creative master classes where they could try their hand in wooden mosaics. Over 80 pieces were created in total: goldfish, steam and sail boats, whales. They will help preserve the memory of their day in Zavidovo for the years to come.
At the sea knot tying station, everyone was welcome to imagine themselves a sea boat captain. Participants got knots tied with their own hands and framed as certificates of their sea craft mastery.
Children and grown-ups alike had fun coloring a giant 2 x 2 meters coloring picture of the sea world featuring the headliner of the fest, the Goldfish.
For the young guests of the Summer Diplomatic Games, brimming with energy and strength, there was an amusement area with trampolines, rope courses and other amusements.
The fest was topped off with a kite festival which also tied into the marine theme: Koi carps and merry jellyfish flew into the sky over Zavidovo.