The Russian Report -- "Olympic Change" Contest Draws to Close

The idea of the winner of the All-Russian contest "Olympic change" has been made a reality

Tuesday, January 28th, in a Samara sports lyceum promised to turn into a lively week-day from the very morning and despite nipping frost and biting wind flowing over the embankment where the school building is located, none of the pupils gave up on classes. While waiting for the official launch of the project of the winner of the All-Russian contest "Olympic change" Ekaterina Kulikova, students gathered in the lobby of the lyceum, where exercise bicycles had been already installed.

Teachers, journalists and guests of the event were looking forward to the moment when the sports spirit and muscle strength of the children studying at the sports lyceum, would set into the action the mechanism, which Ekaterina suggested within the frames of the online joint project of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and the company Visa Inc.

The contest was aimed at making and bringing about the best idea how to introduce sports into our everyday life. Besides the above-mentioned Ms. Kulikova’s suggestion there were many more: 446 ideas were suggested since the project was launched in November 2013, 122 of them made the cut and were introduced to the jury, headed by the ROC President, IOC member Alexander Zhukov.

The announced winner is Ekaterina Kulikova from Samara. To bring about her idea they chose the local sports lyceum, having supplied its front with a light installation – bright illumination in the colours of the Russian flag and the inscription "We root for Russia!". The exercise bicycles were installed inside – and every day pupils can put the illumination in action. The harder the pupils treadle the brighter the school’s front is illuminated. The pupils can reap the fruits of their sports labour every day from 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. and starting from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. anyone could do his bit in the transformation of the school’s image.

"When I was bearing my idea – the winner of the contest said at the awards ceremony – I was basing it on my childhood reminiscences. I wonder if you remember the small lamps that could be charged by turning a crank. The same mode has been applied to my project, but the scale is bigger: more energy is being embedded, the battery that stores the energy is larger and the realization of colour resolution is more spectacular.

I would like to express my special gratitude to the organizers of the contest for coming up with this idea! Before this very moment I could have barely imagined, that it would turn out to be so beautiful. I’m absolutely happy that none but my idea has been realized and I’m utterly grateful for this opportunity to join the Olympic movement!".

The installation unveiling was attended by the Vice-President of the ROC, five-time Olympic champion in synchronized swimming Anastasia Davydova, who arrived in Samara to award the prize to the winner – the chance to visit the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.

"I’m pleased to be here with all of you on this significant for the lyceum day. While we have been preparing the project, we have striven to show that the idea of the Olympic Games goes beyond the top global competitions that attract fans from all over the world to TV screens – the Olympic Games are mostly about people’s belonging to the sports movement and the healthy way of living.

The first Olympic change within the frames of the project took place in November 2013, then one of Moscow metro stations was equipped with a special machine giving free tickets for 30 squats. This idea became the inducement for the other contestants, who did their bit trying to change the ambient space and the country for the better. Among all the applications we chose the most outstanding one and its mover turned to be the resident of Samara Ekaterina Kulikova".