SUSU students had the honour of participating in the Flame Lighting Ceremony at the opening of the Ski-track of Russia, a mass ski race event, in Chelyabinsk. The race was held at the stadium of Elena Elesina Track-and-field Complex last weekend.
“In Russia, sport is a way of life. It helps us in overcoming difficulties and making our country stronger and more stable,” greeted the skiers the Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation Oleg Matytsin.
Oleg Matytsin also read out the greeting by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin: “This tournament first started in 1982. Over the years, it has become a big-scale festivity, which is widely celebrated in many regions of our country and unites people of all ages and generations, and whole families. It is rightfully called one of the most successful projects in a series of mass physical culture movements”. Governor of the Chelyabinsk Region Alexey Texler noted that this is the most mass-scale winter sports event in our region and in our country.
“We go skiing, while enjoying the sporting activity and nature. May each one of you be in good mood and get a charge of energy and unforgettable emotions,” said Alexey Texler.
Graduate of the SUSU Institute of Sport, Tourism and Service Aleksei Melnik, students of the same institute Dmitrii Kuksin and Anastasiia Afanasieva, and student of the Institute of Engineering and Technology Anna Gostiaeva became prize-winners in 10 km races. They were invited on stage and were awarded medals and certificates.
Dmitrii, Anastasiia and Anna were the first on the track and held flags of the Chelyabinsk Region and the Russian Federation, as well as carried the torch, which they handed over to student of the SUSU Institute of Engineering and Technology, Master of Sports of Russia Artem Maksimov. He was the one to light the main flame of the race that gave start to the Ski-track of Russia.
Next there were races for public figures, kids, and residents of all the districts of our city. Thanks to this event, residents of Chelyabinsk received a charge of cheerfulness and positive emotions. This was yet another proof that people in South Ural region enjoy going in for sports very much indeed.