Vorkuta To Host 22nd Spartakiad of Peoples of Northern Russia

The 22nd Polar Games Spartakiad of the Peoples of Northern Russia will take place in Vorkuta from 26 October to 4 November 4 as part of the plan of events of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021-–2023, which are being organized by the Roscongress Foundation.

“The athletes will not only compete for awards, but will also have a chance to see the hospitality of the polar city’s inhabitants. I hope that the Spartakiad will manage to reveal new stars and that all the participants will go home with positive emotions,” Acting Minister of Physical Culture and Sports of the Komi Republic Natalya Karina said.

The competition programme features 16 sports, including basketball and 3x3 basketball, boxing, volleyball, kettlebell lifting, judo, kyokushin, futsal, swimming, shooting, wrestling, WTF taekwondo and ITF taekwondo, rhythmic gymnastics, hockey, and chess. About 1,500 athletes from 40 cities and regions of the Far North are expected to take part in the games.

The Spartakiad will be held at seven sports facilities: the halls of the Palace of Children’s and Youth Creativity, the Miners’ Palace of Culture, the Shakhtar Sports House, the Olymp Universal Sports and Entertainment Complex, the chess club, and the Lokomotiv and Arktika Sports Complexes.

The winners and runners-up in the team categories of the Spartakiad will not only receive medals and cups, but also financial incentives. Starting this year, the competitions will be dedicated to the memory of former Vorkuta mayor and the initiator of the games, Igor Shpektor. The event is being organized by the Vorkuta Department of Physical Culture and Sports.

Russia is chairing the Arctic Council in 2021–2023. As part of its chairmanship, Russia is implementing an extensive cultural and sports programme of events. One of the goals of Russia’s chairmanship is to help create the necessary conditions to increase the proportion of the Arctic population involved in physical culture and sports, as well as to build more sports facilities.