Get Charged Up 2.0 Festival: Kurchatov's successors played table tennis, legends opened snow football tournament

The ‘Get Charged Up 2.0’ Energy and Sports Festival was held as part of the ‘National Achievements Forum: Energy Sector’ at VDNH.

The festival programme included the Kurchatov Cup in table tennis and the Charge Cup in snow football, in which teams from companies in the fuel and energy sector took part.

The table tennis tournament was held in the Atom pavilion and was named in honour of Igor Kurchatov, the founder of the Soviet atomic project, who was fond of the sport and encouraged his colleagues to play it. “Break! Everybody gather and play ping-pong,” the eminent scientist said almost every day.

Viktor Polyakov from Gazprom Neft won the men’s tournament, while Kristina Miroshkina from Gazprom Energoholding took first place in the women’s tournament. In the team event, Gazprom Neft won the main prize. Alexander Novak, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, took part in the award ceremony and played an exhibition match with Viktor Polyakov.

“Sport energizes all of us to achieve our goals. Nowadays, leading energy companies are systematically involved in the development of sports: they construct facilities, support clubs and federations, and create corporate teams. Sport has evolved into a universal source of energy for all residents of our country. The present festival has once again vigorously affirmed this notion,” said Alexander Novak, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.

Football legends were involved in hosting a football tournament. Dmitry Alenichev and Yegor Titov kicked off the event, inspiring employees from various fuel and energy companies to compete for the Get Charge Up Cup. Teams representing Mosoblgaz, Inter RAO, Rosseti, Gazprom Neft, Gazprom Energoholding, and the Roscongress Foundation battled it out for victory. The final match saw Dmitry Bulykin and Vladislav Radimov officiating as Gazprom Neft faced off against Gazprom Energoholding. Former members of the Russian national team also participated in the award ceremony, autograph sessions, and other festival activities.

The tournament was won by Gazprom Neft, defeating their opponents 1–0 in the final. In the bronze medal game, Mosoblgaz emerged victorious over Inter RAO with a score of 3–2. UEFA Cup winners Alexey Berezutsky and Evgeny Aldonin presented the winners’ trophy on the main stage of VDNH. Additionally, a drawing for tickets to football matches of Spartak and CSKA was held on the main stage in collaboration with Lukoil and Rosseti. Lukoil is a shareholder of Spartak and Rosseti is the general sponsor of CSKA. Vladimir Zolotukhin, President of the Lukoil Sports Club, and Alexander Filimonov, a six-time Russian champion with the Moscow football club, presented the tickets for Spartak games.

Recall that the inaugural ‘Get Charged Up’ Energy and Sports Festival took place on 27 January during Power Engineering Day at the VDNH ice rink. Hockey legends, including Olympic champion Sergei Svetlov and world champion Maxim Afinogenov, participated in the festival and led masterclasses on hockey skills. These accomplished hockey players also joined the Recharge with Hockey corporate programme, which involved teams representing fuel and energy companies. The festival concluded with the Tales of Evgeny Plushenko ice show, featuring Olympic champion Yulia Lipnitskaya.

The Forum is being organized by the Government of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, and the Directorate of the Exhibition of Russia’s Achievements. The operator is the Roscongress Foundation.