United by the love of football and the spirit of friendship: The
Gazprom Football for Friendship 2017 International Children’s Forum was recently
held in St Petersburg, Russia to bring together young athletes of different
genders, ethnicities and physical capacities from 64 countries across the
world. The children from countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South and North
America were split into eight mixed teams to play in an exciting friendly
tournament, which was organised by Gazprom, an official partner of FIFA and the
2018 FIFA World Cup™. The aim was to unite youth from around the world while
promoting the values of football and a healthy lifestyle. The South African
flag was flown high during the tournament thanks to the participation of SA U12
youngster, Adam Olivier, from the Young Bafana Soccer Academy in Cape Town.
Adam was sponsored to participate in the tournament by Gazprom
and flew to Russia with his parents, Jacqui and Ari Olivier, his coach Bernardo
Steinhage and Darius Jakovchuk, a Russian citizen who has been living in Cape
Town for the past 24 years. More than 1 000 guests attended the tournament, including
journalists representing top international mass media, football stars and FIFA
legends, Olympic and Paralympic Champions, FIFA top management and the heads of
football federations and the Russian Olympic Committee. This was an incredible
opportunity for young Adam, who said that the experience was a life-changing
one for him. He was selected based on his dedication to and attendance at the
Young Bafana Soccer Academy, and was placed in a team made up of players from
Pakistan, Slovenia, Armenia, Iceland, India, Venezuela and South Korea. His
team proudly made it all the way through to third place in the friendly
tournament. Adam paves the way for other SA players to participate in future
events and Young Bafana Soccer Academy hopes to send more players in 2018.
The event is part of Gazprom’s global social
programme, and brought together children to unite them under the banner of
equality and peace. Victor Zubkov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of
Gazprom, hopes that all the children will go on to become ongoing ambassadors
for Football for Friendship. According to Fatma Samoura, FIFA Secretary
General, “We are glad to support this unique initiative from our FIFA
partner Gazprom. The forum is a perfect example of how football can be used to
open doors for girls and boys from all backgrounds, a mission that FIFA
supports actively”.
Jakovchuk comments, "The event has set a new precedent,
helping children from all walks of life to understand that the game of football
can help them to build a better future. The hospitality and professionalism
shown by the organisers and the citizens of St Petersburg was incredible, and
on behalf of Adam, his parents, and his coach, I would like to extend my
gratitude for the opportunity to be part of this amazing global event. I wish
Gazprom the greatest success with the Word Cup in 2018".
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