June 1, on International Children’s Day, the Moscow Country Club (affiliate of GlavUpDK under the MFA of Russia) hosted the 28th International Charity Golf Tournament.
Russia’s oldest charity golf tournament was traditionally held by the Main Administration for Service to the Diplomatic Corps (GlavUpDK under the MFA of Russia).
The opening ceremony was attended by Alexey Ostrovsky, Director General of the MFA of Russia, Vyacheslav Fatin, Head of GlavUpDK, Olympic champion in gymnastics Vera Shimanskaya, Olympic champion in synchronized swimming Svetlana Kolesnichenko and other athletes, actors and public figures.
“My congratulations on the opening of another golf tournament, already with a rich history, which unites people who pursue a healthy lifestyle and love sports. The most important thing is that this tournament entails the gift of lives. In this sense, of course, this sporting event is particularly different from all others. And the fact that today the event has gathered people who, consciously playing golf, help those in need with their charity, is especially significant,” Alexey Ostrovskygreeted visitors, wishing fair play and victories to the strongest athletes.
“It is a great honor and responsibility for us to host the oldest charity golf tournament in Russia. Over the decades of its history, more than 100 million rubles have already been sent to help seriously ill children. It’s good to see that the good goals of the tournament resonate in the hearts of different people. I thank our partners and all those who are present here for their constant attention to our initiative, for the kindness of your hearts, and your willingness to help those who are so in need of care and participation,” said Vyacheslav Fatin.
The ceremony culminated in the presentation of charity certificates. This year, the funds raised during the tournament were donated to the ambassadors of the Vera, Important People, House with a Lighthouse and Life as a Miracle foundations, the Konstantin Khabensky Charitable Foundation, the Boarding School of the MFA of Russia, and the Karaul Orphanage.
The ceremony was hosted by actress Miroslava Karpovich, and the creative performances of students from the Boarding School of the Russian Foreign Ministry were definitely the event’s highlight.
The tournament started a jamboree, which was opened by invigorating exercises from Svetlana Kolesnichenko. Later, the visitors were able to meet the athlete in the lecture hall to ask her questions about motivation, the joy of victories and the importance of self-development.
They also enjoyed creative, sports and entertainment arrangements, including a craft workshop for kids and their parents to learn how to make paper lanterns, paint matryoshka dolls and other crafts, or workshops in Fedoskino-styled postcard and Gzhel painting. There was also a sweets workshop where children painted delicious Kolomna gingerbread cookies.
And that is not all! The Moscow Country Club arranged workshops for painting and gilding, wood carving, modeling and gold-inlaid. There was also a master class on making toy angels and amulets.
The lecture hall also offered a busy program, including a screening of the animated “Asya and Vasya” series by Smeshariki (KikoRiki) creators, a meeting with Alexander Tsypkin, a Russian writer, screenwriter, creator of the literary and theatrical project “Unprincipled Readings”, and a Go master class.
The festival of family, childhood and a healthy lifestyle was held to the sounds of good contemporary music performed by Chernova, Maxim Svoboda, NEMIGA and Ву India.
And there were of course some treats as guests enjoyed ice cream, hot corn, meat products and cheeses produced by Moscow region farmers and a special menu from the Moscow Country Club chef. Other gastro corners were open as well.
At the end of the busy day, the Moscow Country Club awarded the winners, namely Ye. Orekhov, Ye. Slizhov, S. Slizhova and D. Orekhov. The runner-up team included Nguyen Trung Kien, Pham Thanh Long, Ha Hai Binh, and Nguyen Doan Hai, N. Viktorov, S. Lyapshin, A. Pivinsky and S. Pirogov as the third place winners. Cheong Loon Lai, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Malaysia, was announced the best playing ambassador. Junior athletes Sofia Sukhinina and Adelya Khanyafina were awarded, too.
The festival took place with the support of VTB PJSC. Our partners: Riki Group, construction and restoration companies Praktika and Pyrite-99, construction company Lazurit, Union of Gzhel Craftsmen, Kolomenskaya Pastila, Artel Porcelain Workshop & Museum, Fedoskino Factory, Bylina workshop, 10 Zaitsev gingerbread art station, Fixipark amusement park, SLAVNO, Moscow Go Federation, Old Russian Balyks, and Velemi.
