The Children of Asia project is about to celebrate its 30th anniversary. The Games have already become one of the key events in the history of Yakutia at the turn of the century. Thirty years grasp one generation. Tens of thousands of Yakutians grew up and matured with the Children of Asia Games, they, just like the continent's largest children's sports tournament, gained knowledge, experience, learned how to make friends and how to work, earning the trust and authority of their relatives and colleagues. This was clearly and interestingly reflected in the life of the Head of Yakutia Aisen Nikolaev. We have traced the Children of Asia Games chronology through the prism of key events in his life. The 1st Children of Asia Games coincided with the beginning of the professional career of the yesterday’s graduate of Moscow State University.
In 2024, the Games returns to their historical homeland as the largest children's international sport event in the country and Aisen Nikolaev welcomes the Games at home as the leader of the largest region of Russia. We are grateful to Aisen Sergeevich for the opportunity to talk about the Games and turning points in his professional and personal life just a few days before the opening ceremony of the 8th Children of Asia Games.
What do you remember from the time when you first heard about the Children of Asia project?
Mikhail Efimovich Nikolaev's initiative to organize the Children of Asia International Sports Games encouraged everyone. First of all, it expressed a strong belief in the future after the hardest crisis years of the early 90s. It was also a big step in strengthening the identity of the multinational people and confidence in the possibilities of the new Yakutia, of which Mikhail Efimovich was the founder. In the year of the 100th anniversary of the first modern Olympic Games, our northern republic proclaimed unbreakable Olympic principles for all children of Asia. This made Yakutia one of the significant centers of cooperation of a huge part of the world that is Asia.
Indeed, history has confirmed the foresight of our First President as the Games not only became a launching pad into the world of big sports for thousands of young athletes from different countries, but also created a unique community of Asian countries in the field of children's sports and, of course, made an invaluable contribution to the promotion of our country's cultural code in the world.
The year is 1996, the 1st Games. You are a young specialist. What was the major event in your professional sphere during this period?
In 1995, I was appointed Deputy Chairman of Almazergienbank. I was in charge of the development strategy and even then I already recognised it as a leading regional bank. It was not only the main financial activities, but also the social mission of the bank and participation in humanitarian projects that were of utmost importance. Such an ambitious project as Children of Asia was one of the conceptual triggers of our strategy.
There was an understanding that Children of Asia is not only a sports project, that it gives an impetus to the economic and infrastructural growth of the republic and our capital. For the 1st Games in Yakutsk, the Tuymaada Stadium, the Victory 50th Anniversary Sports Palace, and the Elley Botur Ice Palace were built.
An unforgettable grand opening with a parade of young athletes from foreign countries and Russian regions, with a performance by the legendary “Boney M” band. The Games flame was brought specially from Olympic Atlanta and lit at the Tuymaada Stadium. The honorable right to light the flame was given to Nikolai Chukrov, the absolute champion of Russia in freestyle wrestling.
Teams from six countries and four Russian regions participated in the 1st Children of Asia Games. More than 250 athletes played 75 sets of medals in eight sports.
On the opening day, the Olympic flag was raised over the Tuymaada Stadium. The first emblem and symbol of the Games was a boy named Bergen.
The Games opened the path to great sport for athletes from Yakutia. Georgy Balakshin became the champion at that time. His sports career includes a bronze medal at the XXIX Olympic Summer Games. Leonid Spiridonov became a champion in freestyle wrestling at the 1st Games. Later he participated in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games and was the 2006 Asian champion.
In 2000, the second Games were held, and you are already a deputy. How were the Games discussed then, how were the preparations made?
By the year 2000, I had been heading Almazergienbank for two years. In April 2000, by the Decree of the President of Sakha Republic M.E. Nikolaev "On Measures to Strengthen the Banking System of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)" Almazergienbank was determined as one of the authorized banks responsible for strengthening economic independence and financial stability of the national economy of Yakutia. As an authorized bank, it participated in the financial support of the organization of the second Games. Major financing with great support from the federal center was directed to the construction of Dolgun swimming pool, Yunost Stadium, the building of natural sciences faculties and the new dormitory of Yakutsk State University.
I worked as a people's deputy in the Commission of the Chamber of the Republic of the State Assembly (Il Tumen) on Human Rights, Foreign and Domestic Policy, Interethnic Relations, Minorities, Public Associations and Political Parties. International projects of the republic, such as Children of Asia, participation in the Northern Forum and others were in the field of attention of our commission and the whole Il Tumen. Then I headed the budget committee of the Chamber of the Republic and, of course, the issues of ensuring preparation for the Games were among the priorities.
The 2nd Children of Asia Games gathered 4 times more athletes with a total of 1,178 athletes from 23 Russian regions and 13 countries. There were 129 sets of medals in 16 sports. The program of the Games includes national sports such as khapsagai, mas-wrestling, northern all-round competition, and Yakut national jumps. The 2nd Children of Asia Games became the beginning of a victorious sport destiny for Yakut basketball player Mikhail Gunter, who became a three-time world champion in streetball.
The year 2004 is the year when you worked as finance minister. What was the most memorable during this period?
The most memorable experience was working in a unified team under the leadership of Vyacheslav Anatolyevich Shtyrov (the second President of Yakutia. Editor's note), the enormous responsibility for the overall result, including the successful organization of the 3rd Children of Asia Games in July 2004. A new residential building and a canteen for the university, the Yunost stadium, the only State Circus in the Far North, and a four-star hotel Polar Star were built for the Games.
The 3rd Children of Asia Games for me is associated with the emergence of the glorious tradition of lighting and relaying the Games Flame. It was lit exactly one month before the start of the Games on the Kisilyakh Mountain on the Verkhoyansk range, in the early morning of June 23, 2004.
More than 1,5 thousand athletes from 14 countries and 26 regions of the Russian Federation took part in the 3rd Games. There were 270 medal sets in 17 sports. In the Paralympic and Deaflympic program 50 young athletes from 14 countries and regions of Russia competed. The winners from Yakutia were Viktor Lebedev, later a two-time World Champion, a multiple Champion of Russia, and Ayaal Lazarev who participated in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and in Tokyo 2020 Games. He received a ticket to the Olympics in Paris.
In 2008 you were the Chief of the Presidential and Government Administration. Has anything changed in your view of the Games, your attitude to them? You already had three children at that time. Did they go to the Games as viewers when they grew up. Did they shared their impressions?
More than 1,800 athletes from 16 foreign countries and 27 regions participated in the 4th Games. The Games were held for the first time in three cities including Yakutsk, Neryungri and Mirny. An indoor stadium in Neryungri, the Kimberlite Sports Complex and the Triumph stadium in Mirny were built, and existing sports facilities were completely reconstructed.
I think it was at that time that the realization was strengthened that the Games had become a continental-scale event, an asset for the whole of Asia, and a significant part of the Olympic movement. It was then that the Olympic Council of Asia (in 2012 it became a founding member of the Children of Asia International Committee. Editor's note) expressed its support for the Games, and since then it has been supporting the Children of Asia project and the Children of Asia International Committee. At that time, initiatives and proposals to hold the Games not only in Yakutia, but in other cities or countries began to sound.
On a more personal note, in 2007, our youngest daughter was born and everything related to childhood took on a new meaning. The eldest daughter participated in the cultural program of the Games. Children of Asia has firmly entered the life of our family, as well as all the families of Yakutia.
The 4th Children of Asia International Sports Games were held in the year of the XXIX Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. There were 184 sets of medals in 18 sports. The program of the Games included competitions in girls' basketball, girls' freestyle wrestling and as a demonstration sport was shooting. Among the famous alumni of the Games are gymnasts Anna Alyabyeva from Kazakhstan and four-time world champion Darya Dmitrieva from Russia, winner of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Lilia Akhaimova, volleyball player Valentin Golubev, who became the silver medalist of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
In 2012, you became mayor of Yakutsk. A few months after your election, Yakutsk is hosting the Games. What has been the most challenging and interesting during this time?
Before being elected as the head of Yakutsk in March 2012, I was involved in the preparations for the fifth Games as the head of the Head of Administration and as the first deputy chairman of the Government.
Literally from the first days in my new status as the head of the capital city, we started preparing Yakutsk for the Games. The most important task was to clean and improve the city's territory. I remember with great gratitude how thousands of citizens went out on volunteer clean-up events, removed hundreds of unauthorized dumps, cleaned up the streets and yards. A record 30 kilometers of roads were reconstructed, and the facades of hundreds of houses were repaired. It was then that the volunteer movement began to develop in Yakutsk, and people, as hospitable hosts, took a very responsible attitude to the reception of thousands of guests.
Yakutsk has become a large construction site. With the support of the federal center and major companies, the largest facilities were built such as the Triumph Sports Center, the Dokhsun Sports Complex, the Cholbon Swimming Pool, the Modun National Sports Center, and the passenger terminal of Yakutsk airport. A total of 186 venues were involved in the Games, including competition venues, training venues, accommodation and catering facilities for the participants.
Such a big job always reveals basic problems, and it became clear that Yakutsk cannot develop further without a clear plan. After the Children of Asia Games, a decision was made to develop a long-term development strategy for the capital city, on the basis of which a master plan for Yakutsk was developed, approved last year by the Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
The number of participants in the sports program of the 5th Games for the first time exceeded 2 thousand people - 2,150 athletes from 27 countries. There were 264 sets of medals in 20 sports. According to the results of the competition, the Yakutia team retained its leadership in the team standings by winning 30 gold medals.
Famous alumni of those Games were Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics Vera Biryukova, two-time participant and Olympic medalist in swimming Anton Chupkov, two-time Olympic champion in shooting Vitalina Batsarashkina, participant of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, judo wrestler Hamza Didar and Olympic medalist in archery Tuyana Dashidorzhieva.
In 2016, you are already an experienced head of the capital of the republic. How did the city prepare for the event?
A lot of work has been done over the past four years, and the Children of Asia Games in 2016 Yakutsk met the Games in many ways transformed. Since 2012, more than 72 km of city roads have been overhauled, the volume of housing built has more than doubled from 170 thousand square meters to 370 square meters. During these years, 16 new kindergartens were put into operation and almost half a thousand emergency houses were resettled and demolished.
The year 2016 was declared the Year of Labor in Yakutsk. The city residents' common labor was also devoted to the preparation for the 6th Children of Asia International Sports Games. For the Games, the city launched the Million Flowers campaign, in which all residents of the city participated. By the end of June, more than a million flowers were already blooming.
An important event to promote the Children of Asia Games in the world was the participation of schoolchildren from Yakutsk in lighting the flame of the XXXI Summer Olympic Games in Greece; our children carried the Olympic flame on the very first stages of the world relay. This was made possible thanks to the close relations between Yakutsk and Ancient Olympia which once again emphasized the commitment of our Games to the Olympic principles, which today, unfortunately, are rudely violated with regard to our country.
In 2015, my wife Lyudmila Valeryevna became the head of the Republican Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation and since then the preparation of the Yakutia team for the Games has become very important to her.
The Olympian Sports and Shooting Complex was built in the city for the 6th Games. The Games became the largest event of 2016 in the sphere of international sports cooperation. Athletes from 36 countries came to the Games. The judging panel included more than 700 judges, and the number of participants has exceeded 4 thousand people.
The 6th Games were also record-breaking in terms of the number of volunteers with over 2 thousand people. Children of Asia made a significant contribution to the development of volunteer work in Yakutia, which is now demonstrating its potential. This year during the 8th Children of Asia Games 1,9 thousand volunteers will work in 19 areas. Famous alumni of the Games are rhythmic gymnast Alina Adilkhanova (Kazakhstan), winner of the Asian Games, four-time Asian champion and Turan Bayramov (Azerbaijan) - freestyle wrestling, silver medalist of the European Championship, winner of the Olympic Games 2020 in Tokyo.
From 2019, the Games are held outside Yakutia. You have become the Head of the Republic . Have you ever discussed this project with your colleagues, heads of other regions?
Yakutia has been and still is the founder of the Children of Asia Games, I regard them as Yakutia's gift to the whole world. That is why we have always paid great attention to their holding in other regions, taking the most active part in the federal organizing committee. The first and second Winter Games have already taken place on Sakhalin and in Kuzbass. During their preparation and holding I was in contact with my colleagues Valery Igorevich Limarenko and Sergey Evgenyevich Tsivilev.
The 7th Children of Asia Games were held in Vladivostok with participation of 13 foreign teams and 8 regional teams. The organization of the Games was under the leadership of Oleg Nikolaevich Kozhemyako who is the Governor of Primorye Territory.
I am grateful to the governors of the Sakhalin Region, Primorye Territory and Kuzbass for their initiative and support of the competitions. They were held at a very high organizational level and made a great contribution to the development of the children's international sports movement.
The 1st Children of Asia Winter Games (2019, Sakhalin) was attended by 1,196 athletes from 20 countries.
The 7th Children of Asia Games (2022, Vladivostok) was attended by 13 foreign teams and 8 teams representing Russian federal districts and regions, with a total of 1,355 athletes.
The 2nd Children of Asia Winter Games (2023, Kuzbass) was attended by 814 athletes from Russian regions and 12 countries.
The flame of the Children of Asia International Sports Games was traditionally lit in Yakutia at the base of the Lena Pillars. Then the torch relay passed through the territory of the region that is the organizer of the Games. Thus, the torch relay passed all over Sakhalin Island, Primorye Territory and Kuzbass.
The Games of the Future have recently taken place. In other words, there is a search for new formats, including in sport. Have you ever imagined what the Games will be like in 20-30 years?
Russia is a sporting nation and no one can deny it. Representatives of 116 countries took part in the Games of the Future in Kazan, more than 3 billion views worldwide, and the BRICS Games were held in Kazan from June 12 to 23. The 8th Children of Asia Games will be the largest children's multi-sport event of this year in Russia.
Over the history of the Children of Asia Games, about 15 thousand young athletes from 40 Asian countries and 27 regions of the Russian Federation have participated in the Games. More than 50 participants of the Children of Asia Games became champions of the Youth Olympic Games, Olympic Games, Asian Games, World, European and Asian championships.
Answering your question about the development of new formats: The Children of Asia International Sports Games do not stand still. This is evidenced by the expansion of geography, new sports that are included in the program. For the first time athletes will compete in Go. Four sets of medals will be played in this sport. Kickboxing is included in the Children of Asia Games program and seven sets of medals will be awarded. Kyrgyz national belt wrestling Alysh is included in the program as a demonstration sport.
For the 8th Children of Asia Games, a 16-meter-high climbing wall was built at the Dokhsun Sports Complex, and six sets of medals will be awarded in sport climbing.
I think that in the future the Children of Asia Games will be held with even greater scope, and no matter how the program changes, they will always be a symbol of fair sport, friendship and the future.
Over the past 8 years, the share of the population systematically engaged in sports has grown in Yakutia from 35.8% in 2017 to 57.5% in 2024. The number of visits to three major sports facilities in Yakutsk such as the Cholbon Swimming Pool, the republican Center of National Sports Modun and the Dokhsun Sports Complex amounted to 2,1 million people in five years which is twice as much as the population of the republic.
In particular, thanks to physical culture and sports and the opportunities created for this, Yakutia is among the leaders in demographic growth, and life expectancy at the end of 2023 for the first time exceeded the Russian average and reached 73.55 years.
You are always fit and slim. Is this the result of any special training? In addition, what kind of sport do you like and support?
The main thing is not to give yourself any excuses for lack of time. As the president of the Yakutia Freestyle Wrestling Federation, I especially support our number one sport. This year, young wrestlers have pleased us by winning five medals at the Russian Championship. Four Yakutian wrestlers will take part in the Summer Olympics.
I love many sports, both our national and international. I try to attend competitions, especially on our main Yakut holiday yhyakh. I keep fit from the comfort of my workplace on my treadmill.
Your thoughts on 8th Children of Asia Games
In 2024, Children of Asia Games returned to their historical homeland. The Games set a record - more than 3.500 people, entries from 25 countries and federal districts. 24 sports, 239 sets of medals were awarded. The Children of Asia Games were held for the first time without their initiator, Mr. Mikhail Nikolaev, the First President of Yakutia, the founder of modern Yakutia. It is important for us to continue his life's work, his dream of the future, children, and development of Yakutia. It is also important for us that, on behalf of all Russians, we set an example of true cooperation, friendship, and international relations based on mutual respect and understanding. We are confident that these competitions were a good start to new achievements for all participants, and they remembered their stay in Yakutia with vivid impressions, friendliness and hospitality of the Republic's people. Yakutia says see you soon!
