Kazanhosted a solemn opening ceremony of the 10th Adult Summer Spartakiada Games and the 5th Children’s Summer Spartakiada Games of Gazprom. Taking part in the event were over 2.5 thousand athletes representing 25 adult and 17 children’s teams from Gazprom’s 29 subsidiaries.

The participants and guests of the Spartakiada Games were congratulated on the start of the competitions by Ildar Khalikov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan, Sergey Khomyakov Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Rafkat Kantyukov, Director General of Gazprom Transgaz Kazan.

Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee sent a greeting message, which runs as follows:

“Sport fosters the best human qualities: the consistency of aim, determination and teamwork skills. These qualities help Gazprom’s employees gain victories not only in sports, but in their careers as well. As for the younger generation, sports competitions foster leadership skills and commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

Taking an active part in supporting and promoting mass sports has become a good tradition for Gazprom. Around a thousand sports facilities were constructed and upgraded under the Gazprom for Children program. Over 90 thousand children got an opportunity to go in for their favorite sports every day.

We think it is important to carry on with these activities in the future both on the corporate level and nationwide.”

During the week a struggle for prizes will take place in eight sports grounds of Tatarstan’s capital. Adults will compete in six sports: volleyball, track and field, swimming, kettlebell lifting, basketball and football, children will compete in four: swimming, track and field, football and table tennis. 396 medals will be fought for at the Spartakiada Games.

Background

Subdivided into adult and children’s competitions, Gazprom’s Winter and Summer Spartakiada Games are held once a year in the cities and towns where the Company’s subsidiaries are present. Participating in the Spartakiada Games are Gazprom’s employees as well as children active in sports clubs of the Company’s subsidiaries.

Members of Russian national teams, participants of zonal competitions, official national and European tournaments and championships as well as the Olympic Games are not permitted to take part in the competitions. The main aim of Gazprom’s Spartakiada Games is establishing a healthy lifestyle, strengthening the physical and intellectual abilities of Gazprom's employees and their children, maintaining sports traditions and bounds, as well as sharing the experience in physical training and mass sports.