Russian Olympic star Nemov hosts gala reception for Laureus Sport for Good Foundation

By Gary Anderson

October 31 - The Vetoshny Art Centre in Moscow saw a host of sporting stars join four-time Olympic gymnastics champion Alexey Nemov during a gala reception to raise funds for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation charity in Russia.

Nemov, now editor-in-chief of the Bolshoi Sports magazine, was joined by fellow Laureus Academy members Boris Becker and Sean Fitzpatrick as well as a number of Russian sporting stars, including Laureus Ambassadors and Olympic synchronised swimming champions lika Timanina, Daria Korobova and Elvira Khasyanova.

The event will see funds from the evening going towards Laureus' work in the country, as it gears up to host the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, next February and March.

Others assembled at the gala event included Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) President Alexander Zhukov, Olympic figure skating champions Evgeny Plyushenko and Tatiana Navka and President of Russia's Gymnastics Federation (RGF) Andrey Kostin in attendance.

"As the initiator and main organiser of the Friends of Bolshoi Sports event, which we host in partnership with the global Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, my goal is to galvanise Russian charitable initiatives around sports," said Nemov, whose gold medals included the all-round title at Sydney 2000.

The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation provides knowledge and expertise in the use of sport as a social tool and currently provides financial and practical assistance to more than 140 sports-based community projects around the world that use the power of sport to help young people in need, and claims that it has provided more than £51 million($81 million/€60 million) in funds to its various projects in 34 countries since it was established in 1998.

Laureus World Sports Academy members Sean Fitzpatrick (far left front row) and Boris Becker (third from left front row) visited the Unified Sports project in Moscow

Earlier in the day, many of the guests, including six-time tennis Grand Slam winner Becker and 1987 Rugby World Cup winning captain Fitzpatrick of New Zealand, visited a project in Moscow being funded by Laureus called Unified Sports.

The project which is being run by Special Olympics Russia has local sub-programmes across 62 regions of the country and aims to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

More than 120,000 athletes are involved in the scheme regularly and competing at all levels including school, city, region, national and international.

"I am very happy that just before such a significant event as the Olympic Games in Sochi, Laureus has decided to increase its impact in Russia," said Zhukov.

"Last year for the first time the Special Olympics was offered a grant which will be used by Laureus to finance the development of the Unified Sports programme within the frame work of the Special Olympics in six regions of Russia.

"I hope that together we can make sports more popular in our country and help world-class athletes serve as role models for the younger generation."

Olympic figure skating champion Tatiana Navka was one of a host of Russian stars at the gala reception hosted by Alexey Nemov in aid of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation

Becker, one of 46 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, which is a collection of some of the biggest names in world sport who also adjudicate on the annual winners of the Laureus World Sports Awards, praised the work of the Unified Sports project so far and believes that more opportunities for sporting participation across all levels in Russia will arise as a result.

"This event is a great start to the Olympic year," said the German.

"I support the desire of my Russian colleagues to make sport as accessible as possible for all people.

"I am sure this event will truly kick-start the development of grass roots sports in Russia."