The camp of the International Children’s Social Program “Football for Friendship” opened in Kazan
On February 19, 2024, the opening of the camp of the International Children’s Social Program of PJSC Gazprom “Football for Friendship” took place in Kazan. At the camp, young football players from 13 countries are preparing for the games of the “Football for Friendship. Phygital” championship 2024, which takes place as part of the first international multi-sport tournament “Games of the Future”.
“It is very important that “Football for Friendship” has become part of the “Games of the Future” this year, we help each other, exchange experiences. The young athletes who have gathered here today share their enthusiasm with us. We see their sparkling eyes, we see how motivated they are – and this is wonderful! I wish you to carry this enthusiasm through all training and competitions, never lose it!” – The head of the “Games of the Future” project, Igor Stolyarov, addressed the children.
He noted that programs such as “Football for Friendship” bring together participants from different countries and are an incentive for the development of large-scale projects.
Participants of the sports program of the “Football for Friendship” camp are 36 guys from Russia, Belarus, Benin, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Romania, Macedonia, Serbia, Syria, Slovenia, Tanzania, Turkey and the Central African Republic. They have already started training, and on February 21, young athletes will take part in the opening ceremony of “The Games of the Future”.
A qualifying match will take place on February 22, six teams will compete for the right to reach the finals. Each of them includes two athletes from a foreign club, two athletes from the Zenit Football Club (Russia, St. Petersburg) and two athletes from the Rubin Football Club (Russia, Kazan). Traditionally, the teams are named after rare and endangered species of animals: “Caspian seal”, “Gobi brown bear”, “Franklin’s bumblebee”, “Spot-tailed marsupial marten”, “Socorra pigeon” and “Onager”.
Teams compete in two groups, the winners in each of them advance to the finals, which will be held on February 23 at the Kazan Expo football field. The final match will be broadcast live on the Games of the Future website https://gofuture.games/broadcasts/.
Head of Department of PJSC Gazprom Elena Davydova emphasized that “Football for Friendship” is a unique program that brought together participants from 211 countries, won a huge number of international prizes, and set three Guinness records.
“In this project we are talking not only about sports and football: we are talking about fair play, respect for each other and for the opponent, for traditions, and ultimately about friendship. Each of you is an ambassador of your country, this is responsible and honorable. Today we are all becoming part of the big new tournament “Games of the Future”, and it will be an unforgettable experience for each and every of us”, – concluded Elena Davydova.
Reference information
“Football for Friendship” is a unique international children’s social program that has been implemented by Gazprom since 2013. The program covered 211 countries and regions of the world, brought together more than 6 thousand participants and acquired over 5 million supporters. As part of the program, three Guinness World Records were set: for the largest number of visitors to a virtual stadium, for the most multinational football training session and for the largest online football event. The operator of the program is the AGT Communication Group.
“Football is for friendship. Phygital” is included in the list of “Sport” challenges of the first international multi-sport tournament “The Games of the Future”. The youngest participants of the tournament– children aged 10 to 12 years – compete here. In the tenth anniversary season of the Football for Friendship program, competitions are organized in the phygital format, combining classical sports and e-sports.
“The Games of the Future” is an international multi-sport tournament in the phygital concept, which will take place in Kazan from February 21 to March 3, 2024. The first ever sports show in the phygital concept combines competition in the physical and digital dimensions. The competition format involves the use of the latest developments in the field of e-sports, robotics, augmented and virtual reality, information technology and artificial intelligence. The title sponsor of “The Games of the Future” is Gazprom.
Informational resources
“Football for Friendship” official website: https://footballforfriendship.com
“The Games of the Future” official website: https://gofuture.games
