On July 9, the first corporate open water swimming competition "Baikal Wave — 2026" for the Gazprom Trade Union Chairman's Cup was held in the waters of Cape Uyuga (Small Sea, Lake Baikal). 10 athletes representing Gazprom Group companies took part in the unique swim.
The event was organized by the MPO Gazprom Trade Union, Gazprom Dobycha Irkutsk LLC and Gazprom Dobycha Irkutsk Trade Union with the support of the Irkutsk Region Winter Swimming Federation.
At the opening ceremony, participants and guests were greeted by Artem Lukyanov, Deputy Head of Gazprom's Management Department, Sergey Nekrylov, Deputy General Director for Personnel Management at Gazprom Dobycha Irkutsk, Alexander Korotkov, Chairman of the Irkutsk Regional Union of Trade Union Organizations, and Kirill Bogush, Deputy Chairman of Gazprom Trade Union, who read out the Chairman's address. Vladimir Kovalchuk.
The athletes have been preparing for a swim in cold water for almost two months. On the day of the competition, the weather conditions became an additional challenge: due to rain and wind, the water temperature in the lake dropped from 14 to 8 degrees. Despite the difficult conditions, all the participants successfully covered the distance and showed decent results.
The safety of the athletes was at the center of the organizers' attention. Throughout the entire route, each swimmer was followed by a boat with escorts who monitored the condition of the participants. A rehabilitation team met the athletes on the shore, and a mobile sauna was also deployed.
Following the results of the competition, the judging panel determined the winners in the men's and women's competitions.:
- Rinat Bilalov (Gazprom Dobycha Noyabrsk LLC) showed the best result among men.
- Natalia Rikhelgof (Gazprom Transgaz Surgut LLC) won the Winner's Cup among women.
The organizers and participants noted the high level of the first corporate open water swim "Baikal Wave — 2026". They expressed confidence that the competitions will become a good tradition and will attract more and more gas athletes every year.
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