Baku may become a platform for the first sport and cultural festival for schoolchildren of Caspian states, the Deputy Chairman of the Duma Committee on Family, Women and Children, Oksana Pushkina, who proposed to hold the event in the capital of Azerbaijan, said, speaking to the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza.
"We have already held a number of such festivals and decided that it would be great to hold a sports festival for schoolchildren of Caspian states, choosing Baku as a platform for the first festival. Such festivals are very important in order to unite our children and adolescents, they bring countries together and it is a real pleasure to see children happy," she said.
The festival will involve schoolchildren aged 13-15 years (7-10 grades). According to Oksana Pushkina, the first festival could be organized by the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Youth and Sport of Azerbaijan and the All-Russian School Sport Federation. The MP has already sent her suggestions to the relevant authorities.
It is expected that the total number of participants from Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Iran will be 230-250 people.
"We propose to hold a festival in October-November this year. Schoolchildren will compete in mini-football, beach volleyball, table tennis, badminton, chess, streetball and swimming. We also could hold a festival of national sports within the games, where Azerbaijan would demonstrate its athletic traditions. The festival will allow children to get acquainted with the culture of Azerbaijan, many cultural activities are planned within its framework," Oksana Pushkina concluded.