Young Diplomats to Play Alongside Rubin Football Stars During KazanForum
Young Diplomats to Play Alongside Rubin Football Stars During KazanForum
11 May
A friendly football match will take place in Kazan on 16 May from 10:00 to 11:30, which will be attended by Russian football stars, stars of FC Rubin, and diplomats from countries within the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The legends of FC Rubin Kazan: MacBeth Sibaya (South Africa), Gökdeniz Karadeniz (Turkey), Sergey Ryzhikov, Roman Sharonov, Rustem Khuzin, Andrey Fedorov, Aleksandr Bukharov, Pavel Kharchik, Andrey Knyazev, as well as Aleksandr Mostovoy and Ruslan Nigmatullin, Russian football stars and Ambassadors of the Russian Football Union (RFU), have confirmed their participation in the match so far. Vladimir Leonov, Minister of Sports of the Republic of Tatarstan, will join the game as well.
The team of young diplomats will be represented by Konstantin Kolpakov, Head of the Division at the Department for Multilateral Humanitarian Cooperation and Cultural Relations within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation who oversees the development of international youth cooperation, together with fellow diplomats from Bangladesh, Guinea, Indonesia, Iran, Mali, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, and Russia.
The idea of holding friendly football matches between foreign policy officials was proposed in 2023 by the Council of Young Diplomats within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Such competitions, featuring representatives of the Foreign Ministries across the world’s States, are intended to prove once again that there are no national, racial, religious, or other barriers and prejudices in sports. Sport presents an essential component of cultural and humanitarian co-operation and is called upon to unite the peoples of the world, not divide them. Learning to work it out on the field of the most popular game on the planet, the diplomats can easily work things out when discussing the most acute problems of the current international agenda. Similar diplomatic matches have already been organised alongside the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Second Russia–Africa Summit, the World Youth Festival 2024, and other international events that bear significance for our country.
Following the examples, such a match will be held this year in hospitable Kazan for the first time as part of the International Youth Football Tournament “Eastern Cup” at the Molodaya Gvardiya Children’s Sports and Health Camp in the picturesque forest tract of Lebyazhye Nature Reserve. The Cup was established in 2024 by Rubin Football Club and the Ministry of Sports of the Republic of Tatarstan. The first ever tournament was held in Kazan from 20 to 22 September 2024. It featured 10 teams from Russia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan. The winner of the tournament was the Rubin team
Furthermore, an autograph session with Aleksandr Mostovoy and Ruslan Nigmatullin will take place during the Forum in Kazan Expo IEC at the FC Rubin booth on 16 May from 14:00 to 16:00, while on 17 May, the RFU Ambassadors will participate in the Awards Ceremony for winners and runners-up of the “Eastern Cup” Tournament.
Despite the formidable names of their opponents, who once successfully defended the honour of our country in European cup tournaments, the young diplomats trust in their abilities. They always try to find time for self-improvement, including physical development, in a complex and busy schedule. A healthy lifestyle, regular training, and ongoing participation in competitions form an integral part of the life of any successful foreign policy officer who leads both compatriots and citizens of the host country by example.
We invite everyone to attend this remarkable and exciting game! A transfer for Media representatives from Kazan and back will be arranged and communicated additionally. Follow the news and join the Kazanforum Media Telegram channel!
The full programme of the Event is available on the official website of the Forum.
See you at KazanForum 2025!
The Roscongress Foundation acts as the Operator for the preparation and holding of the Event, whereas ANO ‘‘Directorate for Sports and Social Projects’’ serves as the Operator’s Executive Directorate.
The legends of FC Rubin Kazan: MacBeth Sibaya (South Africa), Gökdeniz Karadeniz (Turkey), Sergey Ryzhikov, Roman Sharonov, Rustem Khuzin, Andrey Fedorov, Aleksandr Bukharov, Pavel Kharchik, Andrey Knyazev, as well as Aleksandr Mostovoy and Ruslan Nigmatullin, Russian football stars and Ambassadors of the Russian Football Union (RFU), have confirmed their participation in the match so far. Vladimir Leonov, Minister of Sports of the Republic of Tatarstan, will join the game as well.
The team of young diplomats will be represented by Konstantin Kolpakov, Head of the Division at the Department for Multilateral Humanitarian Cooperation and Cultural Relations within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation who oversees the development of international youth cooperation, together with fellow diplomats from Bangladesh, Guinea, Indonesia, Iran, Mali, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, and Russia.
The idea of holding friendly football matches between foreign policy officials was proposed in 2023 by the Council of Young Diplomats within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Such competitions, featuring representatives of the Foreign Ministries across the world’s States, are intended to prove once again that there are no national, racial, religious, or other barriers and prejudices in sports. Sport presents an essential component of cultural and humanitarian co-operation and is called upon to unite the peoples of the world, not divide them. Learning to work it out on the field of the most popular game on the planet, the diplomats can easily work things out when discussing the most acute problems of the current international agenda. Similar diplomatic matches have already been organised alongside the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Second Russia–Africa Summit, the World Youth Festival 2024, and other international events that bear significance for our country.
Following the examples, such a match will be held this year in hospitable Kazan for the first time as part of the International Youth Football Tournament “Eastern Cup” at the Molodaya Gvardiya Children’s Sports and Health Camp in the picturesque forest tract of Lebyazhye Nature Reserve. The Cup was established in 2024 by Rubin Football Club and the Ministry of Sports of the Republic of Tatarstan. The first ever tournament was held in Kazan from 20 to 22 September 2024. It featured 10 teams from Russia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan. The winner of the tournament was the Rubin team
Furthermore, an autograph session with Aleksandr Mostovoy and Ruslan Nigmatullin will take place during the Forum in Kazan Expo IEC at the FC Rubin booth on 16 May from 14:00 to 16:00, while on 17 May, the RFU Ambassadors will participate in the Awards Ceremony for winners and runners-up of the “Eastern Cup” Tournament.
Despite the formidable names of their opponents, who once successfully defended the honour of our country in European cup tournaments, the young diplomats trust in their abilities. They always try to find time for self-improvement, including physical development, in a complex and busy schedule. A healthy lifestyle, regular training, and ongoing participation in competitions form an integral part of the life of any successful foreign policy officer who leads both compatriots and citizens of the host country by example.
We invite everyone to attend this remarkable and exciting game! A transfer for Media representatives from Kazan and back will be arranged and communicated additionally. Follow the news and join the Kazanforum Media Telegram channel!
The full programme of the Event is available on the official website of the Forum.
See you at KazanForum 2025!
The Roscongress Foundation acts as the Operator for the preparation and holding of the Event, whereas ANO ‘‘Directorate for Sports and Social Projects’’ serves as the Operator’s Executive Directorate.
