The International Forum of Young Olympians – 2026 has started at VDNH

The International Forum of Young Olympians — 2026 opened at VDNH on June 1. The event brought together more than 300 representatives of national Olympic committees, international sports organizations and youth delegations from Russia, Europe, Africa and Asia. The opening ceremony was held by the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Mikhail Degtyarev.

The International Forum of Young Olympians traditionally takes place on Children's Day. Congratulations to everyone on this day, first of all parents, because young Olympians are educated, supported, promoted by their parents, and we talked about this today," Degtyarev said.

He added that Olympic champions will perform in front of the young Olympians. In addition, in the Cosmonautics and Aviation pavilion, young athletes will meet with cosmonauts, including Fyodor Yurchikhin. The Minister stressed that Russia is doing everything to intellectually support athletes, sow friendship between them, strengthen ties and rid sports of discrimination.

The Chairman of the ROC also emphasized the special role of Russia in the history of the world Olympic movement, recalling that one of the founders of the IOC, General Alexei Butovsky, was a citizen of the Russian Empire. In addition, the Minister noted the contribution of Russian athletes who have won more than 2,000 medals in the history of the Olympic Games, and drew attention to the fact that Russia's place in world sports is based on both high results and significant historical heritage.

Athletes from the Russian Federation are allowed to start under their own flag again. What you need to know

Degtyarev said on May 21 that the international sports community has begun to actively support the principle of equality for all athletes of the countries. According to him, the winner of sports competitions should be determined only by the finish line or the outcome of the match, and restoring the integrity of sports is the common goal of the sports community around the world. At the same time, it is almost impossible to achieve such integrity without the involvement of the Russian Federation and Belarus, since the principles of competition imply the participation of all the strongest athletes, the minister recalled.