The Moscow Country Club, an affiliate of GlavUpDK, hosted the XVIII Winter Diplomatic Games on February 10, the Diplomat’s Day.
GlavUpDK Head Alexey Izotov opened the event. “The history of the Diplomatic Games starts in 1997, when the Moscow Country Club held the first skiing race between teams of diplomatic missions. Since then, this good tradition has brought together hundreds of contestants and thousands of fans from various countries,” he said.
On the orders from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Alexey Izotov conveyed sincere greetings to diplomats on the professional holiday and wished the contestants to win beautiful victories in a fair game. “I am sure that this competition will become another remarkable event, popularize the healthy and active lifestyle, and strengthen the professional solidarity of the diplomatic corps in an atmosphere of warm Russian hospitality,” the foreign minister said in his greetings. Lavrov underscored the contribution made to the success of the games by the Moscow Country Club, “which provides a broad range of services for a comfortable vacation in one of the most beautiful places of the near Moscow region.”
The GlavUpDK head thanked the Russian Olympic Committee and the Russian Union of Athletes for their unfailing support to the Diplomatic Games.
The opening ceremony was attended by Merited Master of Sports, Olympic Champion, World Record Holder, Absolute Soviet Champion, and member of the Central Board of the Russian Union of Athletes Lyudmila Titova, and head of the Krasnogorsk urban district administration in the Moscow region Radiy Khabirov.
Mongolian Ambassador Delgermaa Banzragch took the oath of allegiance to the sports movement on behalf of all contestants, and biathlete, Master of Sports Olga Yelizarova took the same oath on behalf of the arbiters.
The panel of arbiters was led by the Chairman of the Russian Board of Cross-Country Skiing Referees Viktor Grigoryev and included acclaimed Russian athletes: ice hockey players Yevgeny Davydov and Sergey Svetlov, biathlete Alexander Yelizarov, and some others.
Prizes were won in six sports, namely biathlon, ice hockey, skiing, table tennis, billiards, and mini-football. The competition involved teams from 22 countries, among them Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Germany, India, China, Kyrgyzstan, Cuba, Laos, Malaysia, Mauritania, Moldova, Mongolia, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Romania, Sudan, the Philippines, South Korea, and South Africa, in addition to representatives of the Economic Commission for Europe. There were teams of the MFA of Russia and GlavUpDK’ affiliates.
The skiing race was won by a representative of the Eurasian Economic Commission amongst men, and an employee of Spetsavtocenter, an affiliate of GlavUpDK, amongst women. A representative of the Eurasian Economic Commission won gold in biathlon. The table tennis tournament was won by an employee of Inpredkadry, an affiliate of GlavUpDK, and a representative of South Korea demonstrated remarkable results in the women’s event. A representative of the Zavidovo Recreation Complex, an affiliate of GlavUpDK, won in billiards.
The football tournament was extremely delightful. It was won by the Kyrgyz team, the Azerbaijani team won silver, and the teams of South Africa and South Korea shared bronze.
The ice hockey tournament ended with a gala match, in which the team of the MFA of Russia, which scored best in the qualifications, played vs. the KomAr team of Russian actors. Musician Oleg Butman, actors Oskar Kuchera, Marat Basharov, and Andrey Burkovsky, and other cultural celebrities hit the ice of the Moscow Country Club’s arena. The team of the MFA of Russia defeated the actors 4 to 3 after a fierce competition and a shootout.
The winners received memorable cups and certificates for services of GlavUpDK’s affiliates: the Moscow Country Club, Zavidovo, and Medincenter.
There was also a biathlon event for young athletes.
A press conference involving Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Russia Jean Arthur Regibeau, Alexey Izotov, Radiy Khabirov, Lyudmila Titova, and Moscow Country Club Director Andrey Dukhovny was held on the sidelines of the Winter Diplomatic Games.
The interest in these competitions grows year upon year, Izotov said. The football tournament attracted the keenest attention of diplomats this year. It engaged 14 teams, in all.
The country club’s preparations for accommodating the Belgian national team during the FIFA World Cup were an issue covered by the press conference.
Jean Arthur Regibeau said in response to media questions that the Belgian national team would be staying at the Moscow Country Club for several weeks in summer 2018. According to him, GlavUpDK expressed readiness to offer all necessary facilities for the Belgian national team and has met every request of the Belgian side. “The contract has been signed, and I can tell you that the national team will arrive in late May,” the ambassador said.
“We are proud that our district houses such a complex as the Moscow Country Club. It is not just a wonderful vacation spot but also a partner of ours. We would like to carry on our cooperation and wish sustainable development to the Moscow Country Club,” Radiy Khabirov said at the press conference.
Moscow Country Club Director Andrey Dukhovny told the press conference about the recreation complex’s development plans and measures which would make the footballers feel themselves at home in Nakhabino.
The atmosphere of traditional Russian hospitality reigned at the Moscow Country Club on the day of the XVIII Winter Diplomatic Games: everyone was welcome to taste dishes of the national cuisine – cabbage soup, porridge, and pancakes with various fillings. There were attractions for children and adults and plenty of funny contests, including a curling event in which traditional shells were replaced with teapots and skomorokhs acted as arbiters.