Inclusive sports festival wins top prize at Nizhny Novgorod's youth forum

The 'Rhythm of the Young' forum in the Nizhny Novgorod region has awarded top honours to a sports-inclusive festival project for teenagers. Three municipalities—Ardatov, Sarov, and Pervomaisk—collaborated on the winning initiative, which focuses on adaptive sports for young people, including those with health limitations. The event is part of the national 'Youth and Children' project, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The first-place team, named 'Equal Opportunities', proposed a festival featuring sled hockey, wheelchair basketball, adaptive volleyball, and inclusive football. Their project aims to engage teenagers with disabilities in competitive sports and foster inclusivity.

Second place went to the 'Around the World' team for their 'Roads of Memory' autoquest project. This initiative supports families with disabled children and families of participants in the SVO, offering them a structured travel experience.

The third prize was awarded to a team developing accessible tourist routes in the region. Their plan includes a photo expedition for teenagers aged 13 to 17, designed to encourage exploration and social interaction.

The forum brought together platforms from the Presidential Platform of the ANO 'Russia - Country of Opportunities', the youth centre 'Vysota', Sberbank, the Volunteer Center of the Nizhny Novgorod region, and the Center for Social Initiatives. All participating teams received resource support to further develop their projects.

Svetlana Anufrieva, Minister of Youth Policy for the Nizhny Novgorod region, highlighted the strong inclusivity of the projects. She urged all 37 municipalities in the region to take part in similar initiatives. As of February 2026, these municipalities have already begun implementing inclusive projects inspired by the forum.

The event also helps teenagers build skills in inclusive leadership, volunteer work, and socially significant activities.

The winning projects will now move forward with additional support to expand their reach. The sports festival, autoquest, and accessible tourism initiatives aim to create lasting opportunities for young people across the region. By February 2026, 37 municipalities have already started adopting these inclusive programmes.