Moscow Country Club (an affiliate of GlavUpDK under the MFA of Russia) hosted the 21st Winter Diplomatic Games. The traditional sporting event was scheduled to celebrate the Russian Diplomat Day on February 10.

Sergey Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, sent a message of greetings to the participants of the Winter Diplomatic Games. “The Games that have been held for over two decades have gained recognition and popularity among the diplomatic corps accredited in our country. Their contribution to maintaining the spirit of cooperation and the atmosphere of trust between peoples and to promoting an active healthy lifestyle and the fitness values is great, indeed. In this regard, it is significant that your contests will take place on the Diplomat Day,” says the greeting (read in full), which was read out by Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation.

The event was opened by Vyacheslav Fatin, Acting Head of GlavUpDK. Having congratulated the guests on the professional holiday, which had been celebrated the day before, he was happy to note that the Winter Diplomatic Games gathered very large embassy teams: “This is strong evidence that unconditional values ​​of friendship, mutual understanding, commitment to sports and a healthy lifestyle are at the heart of our long-lasting tradition.”

Svetlana Zhurova, First Deputy Chairwoman of the Committee on International Affairs with the State Duma of the Russian Federation, an Olympic champion and a good friend of the event, was also a distinguished guest of the Winter Diplomatic Games; she read out the greeting from Alexander Zhukov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation (read in full). The opening speeches were also delivered by Mikhail Shuvalov, Deputy Chairman of the Krasnogorsk local government, Moscow Region, Galina Gorokhova, President of the Russian Union of Athletes, three-time Olympic medalist, and Ekaterina Shapovalova, initiator and manager of the Food Map of Russia.

The teams of diplomatic missions from Armenia, Bahrain, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Venezuela, Ghana, Honduras, Equatorial Guinea, Egypt, Israel, Indonesia, Yemen, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Cuba, Mongolia, Myanmar, Senegal, Sudan, South Sudan, Uzbekistan, Chad, and South Ossetia, as well as representatives of the Eurasian Economic Commission, TASS and Permanent Mission of Armenia to CSTO competed in skiing, table tennis, Russian pyramid, and futsal. The panel of judges consisted of legendary Russian athletes and professional umpires, including G.E. Gorokhov, N.S. Zimyatov, and A.A. Zavyalov.

The crown jewel of the competition was the gala ice hockey match for the 21st Winter Diplomatic Games Cup, to honor the Diplomat Day. Players from the MFA of Russia team and the Ghostbusters team, including actors Petr Kislov, Aleksandr Fisenko, Ivan Mulin and others went on the ice. The stirring comments of theater and movie actor Vasily Slinkin added to the excitement of those who were watching the tough match, which ended 10-3 and was won by the MFA team.

The futsal tournament was no less exiting, with the gold medals won by the Moscow Country Club team and the silver medals awarded to the South Ossetia Embassy, the winner of the Summer Tournament, while the bronze medals were shared by the Chad Embassy and TASS teams.

The North Korea Embassy was the pacesetter in the final table tennis competition and won four medals in the female and male categories. Excellent athletic performance was also demonstrated by employees of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) who won silver (males) and bronze (females) medals in skiing; then again, they were very good in Russian pyramid and were deservedly awarded gold and silver trophies. The Mongolian diplomats got two bronze awards, including one in cue sports and the other in table tennis among women.

The participants enjoyed a varied program of outdoor activities; the guests were able to play with the kindest Huskies and charming deer, or take part in traditional street festivities, winter entertainment, and amusements.

The highlight of the 21st Winter Diplomatic Games was the Taste of the Arctic gastro fest organized by GlavUpDK in coordination with the Food Map of Russia federal project and supported by chef teams from Russia’s northern regions, such as Murmansk Region, the Republic of Karelia, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), and Arkhangelsk Region. This is not coincidental as Russia is chairing the Arctic Council in 2021-2023.