On the day GlavUpDK under the MFA of Russia was founded, August 24, the Company’s branch in Zavidovo hosted the 25th Summer Diplomatic Games. Headlined with the motto ‘My Family – My Russia’, the event aligns with the Russian Year of the Family.

The 25th Summer Diplomatic Games were opened by Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Fatin, Acting Head of GlavUpDK, reading out an address from Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, to the Games’ participants and guests. “In their 25 years long history, the Diplomatic Games have contributed greatly to popularizing sports and healthy lifestyle, bringing the Moscow diplomatic corps closer together, strengthening friendship and trust between different peoples,” the address said. Read the address.

First Deputy Chairwoman of the Committee on International Affairs with the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Olympic Champion Svetlana Sergeevna Zhurova, Acting Chair of the Tver Region Physical Culture and Sports Committee Tatyana Viktorovna Shikhareva, Three Times Olympic Champion and the Chief Referee of the Contest Galina Evgenievna Gorokhova also welcomed guests of the sporting event. Tver Region Governor Igor Mikhaylovich Rudenya sent his greetings as well.

Traditionally, the contest opened with the sports loyalty oath read by Lyudmila Evgenievna Titova from the referees, and Nanang Syaiful Fadillah, Minister Plenipotentiary of the Indonesian Embassy in the Russian Federation, from the athletes.

Teams from over 25 foreign missions and international organizations, as well as from GlavUpDK under the MFA of Russia and its branches competed in cross country running, futsal, volleyball, basketball, trap shooting, fishing, pool, and tennis.

Teams from the People’s Republic of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of South Ossetia, and the Eurasian Economic Commission demonstrated the best results, with lots of victories across the Zavidovo sports venues.

The futsal tournament was especially hotly contested. After some closely-fought games, gold went to the Embassy of the Republic of Zambia, silver – to the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, while bronze was shared by the Embassy of Burkina Faso and the Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The tournament schedule was changed this year, with the Golden Cup match taking place after the winner has already been decided upon. The gold medal team played against the one and only journalist team composed of TASS News Agency staff. The 25th Summer Diplomatic Games champions defended their title winning 3:1.

The TASS team, however, took revenge in cross-country running, with Angelina Bochkova winning gold. Another journalist team also had a good showing: Alisa Kravchenko from the MIR TV station, won the women’s tennis championship.

GlavUpDK also did not go home empty-handed: the basketball team composed of the Major Projects Department staff, won the basketball tournament.

On top of sporting contests, the Zavidovo recreation complex featured a packed entertainment program for children, amusement rides, the Funny Starts family relay, and the relay for the GlavUpDK Cup.

The Diplomatic Games program was augmented by the My Family – My Russia gastrofest presented by the Food Map of Russia nation-wide project.

The festival venue also featured the Goldfish recreation area. There, everyone could take nice pictures with the Company’s mascot, the Goldfish, try their hand in an amateur ping pong tournament, and take part in coloring a giant picture about the event’s main themes.

The crowning moment of the celebration was the unveiling of the Dandelion sculpture by Grigory Viktorovich Pototsky, Honorary Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts. The Dandelion symbolizes open heart, kindness, love, friendship and unity. Over 130 sculptures like that were erected, at the artist’s initiative, in 45 countries. A performance of the Domisolka children’s music theater augmented the ceremony.