"Megastroy" vs "Naphis Dragons": who won the Dragon Race at the ROSTKI Forum — and what does $3.3 billion have to do with it?
Official statistics of the day: 18 teams of companies, enterprises and ministries of the Republic of Tatarstan, over 200 participants. Crews from Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Zainsk and Nizhnekamsk took to the water, along with teams from three ministries at once: industry and trade, health, agriculture and food. The judges did not record a single disqualification or withdrawal from the race — a rare case for a competition of this magnitude.
"Raises team spirit" — and not only
Oleg Korobchenko, Deputy Prime Minister of Tatarstan and Minister of Industry and Trade of the Republic, reminded why the business forum needs boats at all: the figures behind the holiday are serious.
"The trade turnover between Tatarstan and China exceeds $3.3 billion. A huge number of enterprises in the republic interact with China. This event, the Dragon boat race— raises the team spirit and brings us together, allowing us to be closer to each other. Such events that bring together enterprises, ministries, and government officials, both Chinese and Russian, are necessary."
— Oleg Korobchenko, Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Tatarstan
He also announced the next round: in the future, teams of Chinese companies may join the races — that is, the holiday, which today looks like an intra-Tatarstan corporate race, may well become a Russian-Chinese derby in a year or two.
A metaphor that rows faster than presentations
Taliya Minullina, head of the Tatarstan Investment Development Agency, came from the other side — not through numbers, but through meaning.
"The symbolism of the Dragon race perfectly reflects the essence of our cooperation with China: the clear interaction of all team members, the rhythm set by the leader, and a common goal. These competitions are not just a spectacular event within the framework of the ROSTKI business forum, but a metaphor for a successful partnership: when everyone makes their contribution, the result exceeds expectations."
— Taliya Minullina, Head of the Investment Development Agency of the Republic of Tatarstan
According to her, the involvement of companies and ministries in the region in the race is growing from year to year — that is, this is not a one-time PR campaign for show, but a format that has really taken root.
Two thousand years of history at the same distance
Cao Longquan, Acting Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Kazan, recalled that for China, the Dragon boat race is not a novelty for the forum, but a tradition with more than two thousand years of history, a symbol of unity, mutual assistance and joint overcoming of difficulties.
"I am convinced that the Dragon Boat Festival will further deepen the understanding of traditional Chinese culture among the Russian people and will play a positive role in preserving and passing on the centuries-old friendship between our countries from generation to generation."
— Cao Longquan, Acting Consul General of China in Kazan
And the executive director of the Tatarstan Kayaking and Canoeing Federation, the chief judge of the competition, Alexander Vasiliev, confirmed: the interest is not ostentatious. Two teams have already bought their own boats, some of the crews train on a regular basis, and it has been decided to hold races next year.
Final protocol
- Final A (1-6 places of the qualifying stage): gold — MEGASTROY, silver — AVTOKAMA, bronze — Wanluo.
- Final B (7th-12th places of the qualifying stage): gold — Korib, silver — Nefis Dragons, bronze — ICL.
Why would a forum do that, in short?
SPROUTS takes place in Kazan on August 16-19 and this year defends not only the business agenda, but also the reputation: the forum has already received the EFEA Awards, became a laureate and finalist of the Russian Event Awards. The operator of the preparation and implementation is the Directorate of International Programs. The business part covers interstate dialogue, industry, finance and investments, medicine, education, culture, law, transport, agriculture, tourism and construction — that is, almost everything that was discussed yesterday under the drumbeat on the water.
On August 17, the races will be replaced by sessions, and the paddles will be replaced by microphones. But if you believe today's results, the team spirit from Kaban Lake will not go anywhere — it will simply move to the negotiation hall. Deliver-2 will continue to monitor what it turns into.
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