The Climbing Olympus Educational Program was successfully held at the headquarters of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) in which young athletes from Kuwait took part. The event was held jointly with the Olympic Council of Asia, with the support of the Kuwait Olympic Committee, on the eve of the 45th General Assembly of the OCA to be held on May 11 and 12 in Kuwait.
The participants were welcomed by the President of the Children of Asia International Committee Mr. Vladimir Maksimov and the Deputy Secretary General of the Kuwait Olympic Committee Mr. Ali Almarri.
As Mr. Vladimir Maksimov noted, the Climbing Olympus is not just an educational program, but an important step in shaping the future of sports.
"We strive not only to develop physical skills of young athletes, but also to teach them a real Olympic spirit - perseverance, respect for opponents and faith in oneself. It is especially valuable for us that this project brings together talented children from different countries giving them an opportunity to communicate with champions such as Maxim Rakov and gain invaluable experience. I am sure that each of the young athletes got not only new knowledge but also was inspired to conquer new heights."
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Deputy Secretary General of the Kuwait Olympic Committee Mr. Ali Almarri noted the importance of holding educational programs for young athletes: "It is very important that such educational projects are being conducted. I am sure that our young athletes learned a lot today. They attended very interesting activities on Olympic values, sports psychology and zero tolerance for doping. Our colleagues from the Children of Asia International Committee prepared an exciting educational program. I am sure that all our athletes had a great time today."
The Climbing Olympus Program consisted of three parts: Olympic Values, Fair Play (antidoping) and Strong Mind (sports psychology).
A special event was the Olympic Values lesson that was conducted by an alumnus and bronze medalist of the 2nd Children of Asia Games in judo, 2009 World Champion, 2009 Champion of Asia, medalist of Asian Games (2006, 2010, 2014), participant of the Olympic Games in London, Honored Master of Sports of Kazakhstan in judo Maxim Rakov.
He shared his experience with the participants, talked about his path to success and inspired young athletes to new achievements. "The Climbing Olympus project is a very necessary and useful educational program, especially for young athletes. I am sure that athletes should get such knowledge from early age. I am very glad that I was able to conduct the Olympic Values lesson for young athletes from Kuwait - to see the children's glowing eyes, their interest and questions is priceless. “I hope I was able to inspire them in the same way that the Children of Asia Games once inspired me,” noted Maxim Rakov.
The Olympic Values Lesson included an animated video and a quiz game with interactive activities about the history and main principles of the Olympic Games, Asian Games and Children of Asia Games.
In the Strong Mind part, athletes had a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the latest technologies for assessing psychophysiological and psycho-emotional states and take part in psychotechnical games of various types for personal effectiveness and team building.
The Fair Play part told athletes about an important component of any sport - anti-doping rules, rights and responsibilities of athletes. Participants underwent a doping control simulation using professional equipment. Athletes were able to study all stages of the process in detail - from filling out the protocol to "taking" samples.
The Fair Play part was conducted by anti-doping specialist Mr. Evgeny Khristenko, who explained the importance of clean sport and consequences of violating anti-doping rules. The children learned about doping control procedure as well as the rights and responsibilities during testing.
"Today, our participants, young athletes from Kuwait found out how the doping control system works," said Mr. Evgeny Khristenko. "This is an important experience that will help them avoid mistakes in the future and feel confident at competitions."
Young taekwondo athlete Ajla Cina shared her impressions of the Climbing Olympus educational program.
"Climbing Olympus educational program is an incredible experience that changed my outlook on sports and life! All three parts were filled with exciting information that will definitely be useful to me not only in sports, but also in life.
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I was especially inspired by the meeting with Maxim Rakov - his story, advice and sincere support made me believe that any goals are achievable! And psychology in sport opened up new methods for dealing with stress for me - now I know how to maintain concentration before important starts, and I am sure that these skills will help me in everyday life.
The doping control simulation impressed me a lot – I had no idea how it worked before, but now I feel much more confident. And, of course, I am thrilled to have learned about the Children of Asia Games! Such projects give us, young athletes, a unique chance to grow, compete on international level and make friends all over the world. Thank you for this opportunity – now I am even more passionate about my sport and am ready to reach new heights!
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Reference: Climbing Olympus Program is a joint development project of the Children of Asia International Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia.
Climbing Olympus Program is aimed at promoting the Olympic principles, familiarizing with the history of Children of Asia Games, Olympic and Asian Games, promoting clean sports and strengthening friendly relations between athletes.
