��è��Ƶ

The 'Every Child Deserves a Pedestal' festival took place at the University's Khorkina Sports Centre. Belgorod is the sixth city to run an event of this kind through the Foundation. 150 children were joined by Dr Isinbayeva and Evgeny Savchenko, the governor of Belgorod Region. Among the notable spectators were Deputy Valery Skrug, and sports stars, Oleg Serdyukov, Taras Khtey, and Vitaly Dunaitsev, and the Chair of the Foundation, Natalia Petinova. Professor Oleg Polukhin, the Rector of the University, welcomed everyone to the University and spoke on the theme of a happy childhood. Dr Isinbayeva then talked about the strength of unity, before formally opening the event.

The two-day festival involves sport and group activities, and competitions involving arts. There were also screenings of inspirational films, and motivational talks. The two best teams were invited to the finals, which will be held in Dr Isinbayeva's home town of Volgograd.