SPIEF 2019 Sporting Programme Summary
Sports federations and leading companies with the support of the Roscongress Foundation presented their projects at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
At the initiative of the World Chess Federation (FIDE), the 14th World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik held a simultaneous play for the Forum participants, and Guinness Book of Records record holder Timur Gareyev from the U.S. demonstrated blind play skills. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Alexander Zhukov, State Duma Deputy Yury Afonin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Udmurt Republic Mikhail Khomich and business elite met at the chessboard. Vladimir Kramnik and Timur Gareev played and spoke with young chess players in the Catherine Park in St. Petersburg. Also, the Chess Express blitz tournament took place on a high-speed Sapsan train travelling from Moscow to St. Petersburg with the support of Russian Railways under the auspices of the SPIEF. European champion Maxim Matlakov won the tournament scoring 4 out of 6 points.
Christian Karembeu, a world and European champion from the French national team, Englishman Sol Campbell, a member of the Euro 1996 bronze winner team took part in the opening of the Euro 2020 Football Park on Zayachi Island. Together with UEFA Events CEO Martin Kallen they also attended the Euro 2020 stand at the SPIEF and the ‘Football Within a Big City’ session.
Head of the Republic of Udmurtia Alexander Brechalov tested his sharp shooting skills in the laser range at the Kalashnikov Group booth. His rival was two-time Olympic biathlon medallist Ivan Tcherezov. Moreover, two-time practical shooting world champion Vsevolod Ilyin took on a role of modern firearms expert for participants of the Roscongress Kalashnikov Cup tournament.
A hockey gala match between the teams of SPIEF and the Government of St. Petersburg ended with a combative draw 2:2. Two-time Olympic medallist Alexei Yashin and three-time world hockey champion Danis Zaripov played with the SPIEF team. Together with them Zenit President Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman (Chief Economist) of VEB.RF Andrei Klepach, members of the Ilim board Boris and Mikhail Zingarevich and other business elite representatives took the ice. Their teammate, Novotrans President Konstantin Goncharov, delivered one puck. Vice-governor Maxim Shaskolsky and Olympic skating champion Svetlana Zhurova led the St. Petersburg team. All participants of the match received hockey sticks produced by ZaryaD, the factory that Danis Zaripov founded three years ago in Naberezhnye Chelny.
Sergey Kushchenko, President, VTB United League and its CEO Ilona Korstin took part in a basketball gala match between the SPIEF and VTB United League teams. The two-time world championship medallist and Minister of Sport and Youth Policy of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Sergey Panov, ambassador and Russian national team Sibur assistant and the European champion Sergey Bykov, VTB Capital Investment director and VTB Bank senior vice-president Vladimir Potapov also took part in the match.
More than a hundred players took part in the Roscongress Cup golf tournament in Peterhof golf club. Among them is the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Alexander Zhukov, the Russian Golf Association President Viktor Khristenko, United Shipbuilding Corporation President Alexey Rakhmanov, Chief Executive Officer of GLONASS Igor Milashevsky. More than 70 guests of the tournament also took part in a golf lesson, given by the Russian national golf team senior coach Igor Ivashin together with the current Russian golf champions Yekaterina Malakhova and Artemy Yalovenko.
Derbi horse-riding club hosted the Roscongress Sport Club events, including a hurdle-jumping tournament, with support from J.U.M.P. group. The tournament attracted around 100 participants. Roscongress Cup for jumping the hurdles over 125 cm went to Dmitry Voschakin, a 100 cm trophy in a children’s section went to Darya Kukushkina.
Besides, SPIEF participants competed in tennis for Roscongress Cup gala tournaments, opened by the vice-governor of St. Petersburg Vladimir Kirillov, as well as squash. The city residents attended the Roscongress SPIEF Drive Festival, which also included the international Ladoga Trophy-Raid, the Leningrad Retro Rally and the Speed Festival race car parade.
“The opening day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum kicked off with the ROSCONGRESS SPIEF RACE in the historical centre of St. Petersburg, and one of the final events was the international golf tournament. Compared to last year, the motivation to participate in gala matches and tournaments increased significantly. The teams were mustered a week after the registration opened. The next step in this direction is the all-year Roscongress Sport Club project. SPIEF 2019 hosted 12 athletic events, two sessions on sports within the business programme and featured five sports projects booths in the exhibition area. Interestingly, the sports federations, regions and the leading companies have taken advantage of the whole range of options to present their projects,” said Georgy Bryusov, Deputy Director of the Roscongress Foundation.
