From November 18 to 20, St. Petersburg hosts the All-Russian Spartakiad of the Special Olympics. The event is supported by the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation, the Government of St. Petersburg and the social investment program "Hometowns" of Gazprom Neft.
The tournament is attended by 417 athletes with special mental development, coaches and specialists from 30 regions of Russia and Belarus. Athletes will compete in powerlifting, bowling and bocce*. The tournament program also includes unified**-bocce and unified bowling competitions: in this format, special athletes play in the same team together with partners (persons without intellectual disabilities) who help them in social adaptation.
According to the rules of the Special Olympics, there will be no losers in the competition. Each athlete will rise to the podium and receive an award regardless of the result. The main goal of the Special Olympic Movement is to create equal opportunities for all.
"It was customary to hide people with mental disabilities in homes and boarding schools. But our task is to show these guys that the world is open to them, and to help the world accept them. We want people with special needs to be able to fully travel, play, move, and most importantly – communicate, laugh, find new friends and support."Thanks to the social investment program "Hometowns" of Gazprom Neft, it became possible for athletes from 6 regions of Russia to participate in the Spartakiad. The children and their coaches from the Omsk, Tomsk, Orenburg and Tyumen regions, as well as from the Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrugs, were provided with equipment, tickets and accommodation in St. Petersburg during the competition.
Olga Slutsker, President of the Russian Special Olympics
"The Spartakiad is a great opportunity for people with special mental development to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of friendship and positive sports excitement without barriers and conventions. Gazprom Neft is proud to have the opportunity to be a partner in this important project, which demonstrates the key humanistic values of sport."Reference
Alexander Dybal, Head of the Corporate Communications and Regional Development Department at Gazprom Neft
The Russian Special Olympics is a movement that provides year–round sports training and competitions in various Olympic-type sports for children and adults with mental disabilities. Every year, according to the Special Olympics program, about 5 thousand physical education events are held at the municipal, regional and all-Russian levels, which involve about 140 thousand special people. Under the auspices of the movement, not only sports events are being implemented, but also programs aimed at social adaptation and the involvement of athletes with mental disabilities and their loved ones in the life of society.
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