Global Sports Stars to Participate in SPIEF 2019
Numerous prominent athletes will take part in the sporting programme, organised by the Roscongress Foundation at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on 6–8 June.
The extensive programme was initiated by the World Chess Federation (FIDE). 14th World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik will hold a simultaneous play for SPIEF participants, while Guinness Book of Records record holder Timur Gareyev from the U.S. will demonstrate blind play skills. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich will kick off the Roscongress Cup chess tournament for SPIEF participants and will speak at the session ‘Sports for Everyone: Global Trends Entrepreneurial Approach’. During the Roscongress Cup, the companies World Chess and Telesport Media will present the Armageddon Tournament at the SPIEF with an innovative chess broadcast format that includes filming in a virtual reality studio, a display of the players’ heart rate, and the visualization of other interesting data. The debut Armageddon Tournament will take place on 10–17 June in Moscow with Kramnik and other world chess stars participating. In addition, the Chess Express blitz tournament will take place on a high-speed Sapsan train travelling from Moscow to St. Petersburg under the auspices of the SPIEF on 7 June with the participation of World Chess Olympiad winner Vadim Zvjaginsev, European champion Maxim Matlakov, and other prominent grandmasters.
Three-time world hockey champion Danis Zaripov will play for the SPIEF team in a match with the St. Petersburg team. Zenit President Alexander Medvedev, State Duma deputy and Olympic skating champion Svetlana Zhurova, Novotrans President Konstantin Goncharov, and other representatives of big business and politics will also take the ice.
All SPIEF participants will have a chance to test their marksmanship compared with two-time Olympic biathlon medallist Ivan Tcherezov and two-time practical shooting world champion Vsevolod Ilyin during a multimedia laser shooting gallery held at the Kalashnikov Concern. Cherezov and Ilyin will serve as experts at the stand and will also present modern firearms during the Kalashnikov Roscongress Cup tournament at Nevsky Shooting Club.
Two-time Olympic medallist and VTB United League President Ilona Korstin and two-time world championship medallist and Minister of Sport and Youth Policy of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Sergey Panov will take part in a basketball gala match between the SPIEF and VTB United League teams. In addition, Russian national golf team senior coach Igor Ivashin will conduct a master class for guests of the Roscongress Golf Club tournament at Peterhof Golf Club together with current Russian champions Yekaterina Malakhova and Artemy Yalovenko.
