SPIEF guests took part in an athletics race before the start of the events

As part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Marathon (SPIEF-2026), the "Fight and Win" track and field race started. On the morning of June 4, the participants of the event woke up early and went for a jog in the center of St. Petersburg. The situation on the spot was shown by Izvestia correspondent Tatiana Leontieva.

The race began on St. Isaac's Cathedral Square, and the athletes will run there after overcoming 5 km. The participants of the race — famous politicians, athletes and cultural figures, run along Admiralteyskaya Embankment and past the famous sights of the historical center of the cultural capital.

"I'm in a great mood, it's 5:50 a.m. I haven't even woken up to go fishing yet. We'll do a vigorous warm-up before the race. It's a great event, I think everyone will like it," said Konstantin Tyukavin, striker of Dynamo Moscow and the Russian national team.

Maxim Urazov, Director of the Department of Physical Culture and Mass Sports, said that a large sports program is planned at the SPIEF under the leadership of Mikhail Degtyarev, head of the Ministry of Sports.

"We have a large sports program under the leadership of the Minister of Sports Mikhail Vladimirovich Degtyarev. We are very actively involved. It gives both the Federation and the Ministry of Sports the opportunity to present a big race today. A lot of people go before the start of a big business program to recharge with a healthy lifestyle," he said.

Important agreements: SPIEF started with a discussion on the future of media and the development of a multipolar world

What else did the participants discuss on the first day of the forum and what do the guests expect from the main economic event of the year?

The main business event of 2026, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, started the day before, on June 3. It is attended by delegations from more than 130 countries, including those represented at the highest level by heads of State. According to Roman Ishmukhametov, a correspondent of Izvestia, the total amount of concluded contracts may exceed 6.5 trillion rubles.