From 3-5 June 2024, the International Children’s Center “Artek” in Pushcha Vodytsa (Kyiv) hosted the first All-Ukrainian sports and cultural festival for children and teens.
Twenty-five teams from all regions of Ukraine took part in the event, which was organised under the motto “Faster, higher, stronger – together”. The programme included various activities, including a team presentation competition, an educational quiz named “Paris-2024”, an athletic relay race called “Artek Races”, a 3×3 basketball rally, art contests, a QR quest “Interesting Artek” and another quest called “Cossack-Sich”. The winning teams were determined and honoured based on the results of all the intellectual and sporting competitions.
Celebration of the Olympic flag being raised by Andriytsev and Zaspa
At the closing ceremony of the festival, the Olympic flag was celebrated. It was dedicated to the participation of the national team of Ukraine in the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris. To commemorate this event, the Olympic flag was solemnly raised by Valery Andriytsev, the silver medallist of the Games of the XXX Olympiad in freestyle wrestling, and Larysa Zaspa, the bronze medallist of the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad in handball.
Despite the problems with the energy system in connection with the shelling of Ukraine, the planned power cuts in Kiev and the need to stay in bunkers during the air raids, all three days of the festival were extremely eventful and interesting. The “Faster, higher, stronger – together” project became an important and unforgettable event for all participants. They were provided the opportunity to demonstrate their sporting and intellectual skills, made new friends, and spent time in a friendly atmosphere.