Today the Start stadium in Saransk hosted the Opening Ceremony for the Gazprom's 9th Summer Spartakiada Games.

Participating in the ceremony were Mikhail Sereda, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee – Head of the Administration of the Management Committee, Nikolai Merkushin, Head of the Republic of Mordovia, Vladimir Volkov, Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Mordovia, and Igor Schegolev, Director General of Gazprom transgaz Nizhny Novgorod.

30 Gazprom's subsidiary companies and organizations will compete during the Spartakiada Games. Competitions will be held in the following sports: basketball, men's and women's volleyball, football, kettlebell lifting, track and field athletics, swimming. Sports events will take place at six playgrounds. The number of participants and guests of the Spartakiada Games exceeds 2,300 people.

Background

Gazprom holds Winter and Summer Spartakiada Gamesannually. The events take place in cities with the presence of Gazprom's subsidiaries. Both senior and junior Spartakiada Games are held among the employees of Gazprom's subsidiaries and units, and among children active in sports clubs of Gazprom's subsidiaries, respectively.

The main aim of the Spartakiada Games is establishing a healthy lifestyle of Gazprom's team, and young generation as well. The Spartakiada Games provide for sharing the experience in the development of physical training and mass sports, maintaining sports traditions.

Gazprom transgaz Nizhny Novgorod is the organizer for Gazprom's 9th Summer Spartakiada Games.