Exactly 30 years ago, during one of the most difficult periods for the country, the First President of Yakutia, Mikhail Nikolaev, signed a fateful Decree that not only changed the sports life of the republic, but also brought it to the international arena. Of course, we are talking about the Children of Asia Games. This initiative supported by his colleagues has become an act of faith in the future — a symbol of the fact that even in difficult times one must believe in the younger generation, cherish their dreams and aspirations for the best. We talked about how this grandiose project appeared, about the faith and determination of its founders, with a direct participant in those events, Viktor Nogovitsyn, who in 1995 served as Minister of Youth Affairs, Tourism, Physical Culture and Sports of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia).
— I worked with Mikhail Nikolaev for 18 years. He had a habit of discussing an idea with a small circle of close people, carefully considering and weighing their opinions, and only then making a final decision. This was also the case with the Children of Asia project. I would like to emphasize an important point: by that time the people of the republic trusted in him as a leader and were ready to realize any deeds for the sake of children and youth.
On September 19, 1995, the decree of the President of the Sakha Republic «On holding the Children of Asia International Sports Games No. 1170» was published. I was appointed by the President as the coordinator for the preparation and holding of the Games. An organizing committee headed by Aleksei Tomtosov was established. In the shortest possible time the infrastructure was built, including a stadium for 12000 spectators, equipment and inventory were purchased, competition venues were marked. The city began to be beautified and transformed, built up with modern stone buildings.
Participants of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Olympic Games in the city of Atlanta brought the Olympic flame, and in August 1996, it was accomplished: the 1st Children of Asia International Sports Games triumphantly took place in the unknown northern city of Yakutsk. Today, after so many games, we can say that it was a world event, a celebration of sports, fair competition, peace and friendship. Everything that the founder of the Olympic Games Pierre de Coubertin put into the concept of Olympism and that Mikhail Nikolaev valued so highly.
The Children of Asia International Sports Games for our northern republic is an event of great social, economic and political significance. It is not only a competition in strength and agility of the body, first of all it is an exchange of intellect and culture. The architectural transformation of the Yakutsk city from wooden to stone, the construction of sports facilities that meet international standards, the increase in the desire of Yakut youth for education and development, the introduction of the concept of a healthy lifestyle, the establishment of friendly relations with the countries of the Asian continent, the recognition of Yakutia as a locomotive for the development of children’s sports are all indisputable proof of the significance of the Children of Asia International Games not only for our republic, but also for the country as a whole. The policy of prioritizing the Asian, eastern direction of development of Siberia, the Far East and the Arctic, initiated by Mikhail Nikolaev in the 1990s, is now of global significance for the political and economic image not only of Yakutia, but also of the entire country
