Friday, 21 January
On the 20th of January in the Educational Committee of the Murmansk region took place press-conference, devoted to the 45th Festival of the North for schoolchildren. This festival will be held from the 3rd of March till the 3rd of April. Every spring in the Murmansk region takes place not one but several Festivals of the North. And this year the organizers decided to give the priority to the Festival for schoolchildren, not to the Polar Olympic Games. This spring there will be the anniversary of this holiday – 45 years. "I want to organize holiday for children", said the chairman of the Sport Committee of the Murmansk region Valery Ziganov. Our Festival of the North for schoolchildren is a unique event for the whole country. Last year, for instance more than 2000 young sportsmen from 30 regions of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus took part in it. And this year the competitions on ski racing gained the status of All-Russia competitions and were included into the calendar plan of the Ski Racing Federation. All in all kids will participate in 8 kinds of competitions. For instance, the tournament of young reindeer breeders was organized for the first time. Also, for the first time ski racing for handicapped children was included into the program of the Festival. And these competitions will be held before the official opening of the Festival of the North: in the end of January. The chairman of the Educational Committee in the Murmansk region Vasily Kostukevich noticed: "Our aim is not the results, but children’s health."
