Hockey for All open competition results are in. The winners will receive funding for their projects to promote hockey for children and teenagers with disabilities. The competition is organized by Children’s Sledge Hockey League with support from the Charitable Foundation of Elena and Gennady Timchenko.
The Hockey for All competition was a nationwide event in the Russian Federation. Entries were solicited in two categories: Promotion Impetus (creation of new teams) and Integration Impetus (support for existing teams and promotion of interstate cooperation).
In all, this year’s competition had 27 entries, of which 12 were for the creation of new teams and 15 for assistance to existing ones. Winners were identified by an Expert Panel, which incorporated experts in philanthropy, children’s sports and disabled hockey. The experts evaluated the entries in two stages: a remote review and an Expert Panel meeting 2 March 2020.
In the Promotion Impetus category, the Hockey for All open competition was won by:
Winners in the Integration Impetus category:
Sergey Vitalyevich Altukhov, member of the competition’s Expert Panel and deputy head of the Sports Management Centre of the Lomonosov MSU: “It is very gratifying to see new sledge hockey cities appear on the national map such as Penza, Kazan, Kirov, Chelyabinsk, Omsk and Sochi. We also see sledge hockey tournaments extending their reach, even beyond the Urals. This is also cause for optimism. We thank our colleagues for their productive effort and rapport. Objectivity and impartiality are our watchwords. Let there be good!”
Igor Baradachev, head of the Sports programme at the Timchenko Foundation: “Sledge hockey is gaining popularity in Russia, and every year sees more and more people wishing to promote the sport in their area. This year has seen a surge in both the number of competition entries and their level. This is great! Many entrants, including those who all but won, have a lot of potential. May they develop and improve their ideas, and I invite them to take part next year. May the winners succeed in implementing their projects!”
We congratulate the winners of the competition!