LUKOIL SPORTS CLUB CELEBRATES 15TH ANNIVERSARY
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
A festive ceremony dedicated to the 15th anniversary of LUKOIL’s Sports Club took place today, with LUKOIL Moscow headquarters serving as the venue. The Sports Club implements the company’s projects to support Russian sports, which is considered one of the top priorities as part of LUKOIL’s social policy.
RF Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko and Astrakhan Oblast Governor Alexander Zhilkin attended the ceremony.
Among the honored guests there were also President of the Russian Ski Race Federation Elena Vyalbe, Vice President of the Russian Football Union Nikita Simonyan, Vice President of the Russian Olympic Committee Vladimir Loginov, President of Russia’s Teenager Football League Viktor Gorlov and First Vice President of the All-Russian Swimming Federation, member of the International Olympic Committee Alexander Popov.
Vitaly Mutko awarded a Badge of Honor to LUKOIL President Vagit Alekperov for his contribution to the development of physical education and sports, while Alexander Zhilkin honored him with an Order of Merit to the Astrakhan Oblast for supporting regional sports projects.
LUKOIL sets the following goals in the area of promotion of physical education and sports:
- support of Russian professional sporting teams, national sports federations and the national Olympic movement;
- promotion of youth sports in Russia;
- promotion of healthy lifestyle and fitness among the company’s employees and their family members.
Specifically, LUKOIL acts as partner of the National Cross-country Skiing Team, the Russian Cross-country Skiing Federation, the Russian Olympians Supporting Foundation, the United Basketball League, the Russian Teenager Football League, the Spartak (Moscow) Football Club, the Torpedo (Nizhny Novgorod) Ice-hockey Club, the Zarya Kaspiya (Astrakhan) Team Handball Club, the Spartak (Volgograd) Water Polo Club and the LUKOIL Racing Team.
In addition, LUKOIL’s Sports Club has launched numerous campaigns focused on the development of youth sports. They include: the all-Russian campaign “We are One Team!”, the all-Russian charity program “Believe in yourself!” and the campaign “Live with Sports!” LUKOIL also organized a number of football festivals, “Spartak: 90 Years of Red and White Victories”, dedicated to the legendary Moscow club.
The International Spartakiade, held for the LUKOIL Group employees and aimed at the promotion of physical fitness and mass sports among them, is its largest event. The first Spartakiade was held in 2001, while the fifth one occurred in 2011.
The company’s activities promoting a healthy lifestyle were highly praised by the RF Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development: LUKOIL won the Second All-Russian “Healthy Russia” Contest of healthy-lifestyle projects in the “Best Corporate Project” category.
The activities of the LUKOIL Sports Club were highly praised by the Russian Olympic Committee as two of its members became honored Olympic-torch bearers as part of the “Sochi 2014” Olympic Torch Relay.
“Establishment of our Sports Club enabled us to switch from single events of sponsorship to system-based activities focused on the support of professional sports teams, children’s and youth sports, and the construction of various sporting facilities in the regions of LUKOIL’s activities,” Mr. Alekperov commented.
“LUKOIL’s longstanding vigorous activities aimed at the promotion of physical education and sports in Russia are a demonstrative example of socially-oriented business,” Mr. Mutko noted.
