The Young Olympians International Forum is a large-scale event that was first held by the Russian Olympic Committee in 2018. Its main goal is to form a sustainable anti-doping culture among young athletes, respect for the true Olympic values, the principles of fair and clean sport.
The solemn ceremony took place at Luzhniki Grand Sports Arena, a landmark stadium for domestic and world sports, which hosted the XXII Summer Olympic Games 1980 and matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The Forum was attended by several hundred athletes aged 14 to 17 and representatives of sports organizations from 27 regions of Russia, as well as from 9 countries of Africa, Asia and Europe – Armenia, Belarus, Uzbekistan and, for the first time, from Gambia, Namibia, Eswatini, Mali, Syria and Laos.
The Forum was opened by the ROC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov, the Deputy Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation Alexey Morozov and the Ambassador-at-Large, Special Representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry for International Sports Cooperation Mikhail Khorev.
– Sport sees no boundaries and obstacles. The Olympic slogan “Faster. Higher. Stronger. Together” shines in new splendor in this context. And, as Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Olympic Movement, dreamed of, let’s build a be better world through sport!, the Head of the ROC greeted the audience.
– One of the objectives of the Forum is to promote the fundamental principles and values of sports among young athletes from Russia and other countries. Representatives of different states have gathered in Moscow today, which once again proves that we remain a large Olympic family, in which everyone is ready to help others. The Forum is a great opportunity for beginners in sport to get to know each other, gain new knowledge and realize that being successful in sport means being successful in everyday life as well, – Alexey Morozov added.
– We, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pay attention to sports as the most important component of diplomatic efforts. This is an opportunity to strengthen interaction and friendly relations with all countries, but by no means an instrument of political confrontation, as some forces in the world do. Young athletes can do a lot to strengthen friendship between peoples, true mutual understanding and the triumph of peace throughout the world, – Mikhail Khorev noted.
After the solemn opening ceremony of the Forum, the ROC’s General Director Vladimir Sengleev and RUSADA’s General Director Veronika Loginova signed an Agreement on Funding Anti-Doping Testing for Young Athletes.
And then – the most important part for future champions: an interactive panel session on the topic of motivation in sports with famous Olympians, eminent athletes. The tree-time Olympic Champion in synchronized swimming Alla Shishkina, the Olympic Champion in boxing Albert Batyrgaziev, the world record holder in swimming Evgenia Chikunova, the Olympic silver medalist in rhythmic gymnastics Yana Batyrshina, and the Olympic World Champion in trampolining Ivan Litvinovich representing the Republic of Belarus shared their experience with the Forum participants.
Guests and participants, including foreign ones, actively asked questions about the importance of cooperation in sport, about how not to be afraid to go to the starting line, “one-on-one” with competitors. And the speakers shared secrets of their success. So, for example, favorite perfumes and music help Alla Shishkina to be primed for victory, and beautiful outfits and sportswear, and, that is most importantly, the support of mentors help Evgenia Chikunova. Yana Batyrshina noted that the traits acquired in sport help a lot in other areas of life, including professional ones. For example, sports endurance and discipline are indispensable for working live on TV. But all speakers agreed that it would be difficult to conquer sports peaks without the support of the family and loved ones.
– I think that such a contact between titled champions and athletes just starting their ways is extremely important. Many guys, when listening to our answers to their questions, realized that we are the same people: we are also excited, worry before competitions and sometimes make mistakes, but this does not prevent us from moving forward towards our goal and winning, – Evgenia Chikunova commented on the meeting.
Then a series of master classes of famous athletes were held for the guests and participants. Here, the history of the Olympic Movement was remembered, and knowledge of anti-doping rules was checked, and the basics of promoting an athlete’s personal brand were discussed, as well as the fine points of education and career building, both during the period of performances and after the completion of competition activity.
For foreign colleagues and managers from NOCs, a training seminar was held at their request: in the run-up to the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, colleagues asked to share experience in organizing such events. Representatives of the ROC International Relations Department told in details about the history of the Forum, the principles of the formation of educational and interactive programs.
– We are very happy to be here today. The Forum is of great importance, as it addresses important topics of international sport and high-performance sport. It is great that athletes and representatives from different countries can get to know each other, share their own experiences and thoughts. And it will help everyone in their own countries, – Jele Maxwell Mahusha, Secretary General of the NOC of Eswatini said.
In addition, the ROC Secretary General Rodion Plitukhin delivered to the Head of the Gambian delegation at the Forum a letter on behalf of the ROC Head wishing Beatrice Allen, the President of the NOC of Gambia, successful work as a Chairman of the ANOC Culture and Education Commission.
The letter has become a symbol of the continuity of Olympic traditions and unity: it was Stanislav Pozdnyakov who headed the Commission from 2018 to 2023, after that the powers were transferred to Ms. Allen.
And, of course, an extensive program of activities was prepared for the young guests: a concert, a master class held by the choreographer of the TV project “Dances” and the winner of international “battles” of Vova Gudym.
On 2 June, the work of the Forum will continue: the participants will go to the Red Square and Victory Park, where they will lay flowers at the Victory Monument and visit the exposition of the Victory Museum.
