The Passenger Port of St. Petersburg Hosted Several Important Sporting Events
23 September 2019
On September 20, 2019, the Passenger Port of St. Petersburg became the venue for two important sports events in the life of our city. First, more than 500 athletes took part in the eighth annual sports festival “Nautical Mile 2019,” which is traditionally held with the support of the Committee for Physical Culture and Sports of St. Petersburg and the Administration of the Vasileostrovsky District to promote a healthy lifestyle and sports among young people. The second event was the opening ceremony of the multifunctional sports and recreation center comprising indoor and outdoor areas with a unique view of the new marine façade of St. Petersburg and intended for game team sports such as basketball, futsal, and volleyball; in winter, it can be converted in a full-fledged hockey arena.
Welcoming and congratulatory speeches to the teams participating in “Nautical Mile 2019” and the guests of the event from the stage were addressed by V.A. Kashirin, Director General of Passenger Port of St. Petersburg “Marine Façade” PLC, N.N. Antyukh, Chairperson of the Committee for Physical Culture and Sports of St. Petersburg, K.A. Chebykin, Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, G.E. Koroleva, First Deputy Head of the Administration of the Vasileostrovsky District of St. Petersburg, A.A. Strepetov, USSR Master of Sports, ex-player and coach of Football Club Zenit, who handed the Port a commemorative gift in honor of the opening of the sports center – a ball of the Russian Premier League, signed by the players of Football Club Zenit, and A.E. Grechanyuk, Technical Director of BaltTechStroy Construction Company that completed the full range of works on the sports center construction; A.E. Grechanyuk handed the symbolic key to the sports center to the Director General of the Passenger Port of St. Petersburg. In addition, the festive and sporting event was blessed by priest Father Vladimir, Rector of the Church of St. Nicholas at the Marine Station, and G.N. Gradkovskaya, Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Veterans of Vasileostrovsky District, read wonderful poems of her own, dedicated to this event and the Passenger Port of St. Petersburg in general.
This was followed by the official opening of the multifunctional sports center. The ceremony of cutting the ribbon was attended by the Director General of the Passenger Port of St. Petersburg, N.N. Antyukh, Chairperson of the Committee for Physical Culture and Sports of St. Petersburg, and A.E. Grechanyuk, Technical Director of BaltTechStroy Construction Company.
This year, the participants of “Nautical Mile 2019” were young athletes from secondary and youth sports schools of the Vasileostrovsky District, cadets of the Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping, St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, and the Military Academy of the Signal Corps, students of St. Petersburg State University and St. Petersburg Mining University, employees of the Checkpoint of “St. Petersburg Passenger Sea Port,” Shkipersky Customs Post of the Northwest Customs Administration, “Rosmorport” Federal State Unitary Enterprise, and Passenger Port of St. Petersburg “Marine Façade” PLC as well as the team of the Council of Veterans of the Vasileostrovsky District.
Traditionally, the participants competed in various athletics and power disciplines: 99.8 m races, a 7×310.15 m relay race, one nautical mile race, arm wrestling, tug of war, and lifting weights.
At the conclusion of the sports festival, the awarding ceremony was organized. The winners and prize-winners were presented cups, awards, medals, diplomas, and valuable prizes provided by partners of the Passenger Port of St. Petersburg: Moby SPL, “Astra Marine” LLC, “Baltic Travel Company” LLC, and “Vozrozhdenie” LLC.
