October 13, 2015Archive 2007–2013

Dagestan tug of war athletes win tournament at the Festival of Culture and Sports of the Peoples of the Caucasus

The final of the Festival of Culture and Sports of the Peoples of the Caucasus, the so-called "Caucasian Games", was held in Makhachkala (Republic of Dagestan) on September 26–27, 2015. The festival was held for the sixth time to help preserve traditional culture and national sports, strengthen friendship and further develop interethnic relations among the peoples of the North Caucasus.

Athletes from six republics of the North Caucasus and Stavropol Krai competed in 12 sports: track and field, arm wrestling, tug of war, belt wrestling, rope climbing, stilt walking, weight carrying over distance, weightlifting, jumping biathlon, powerlifting, archery and futsal. The overall winners of the festival were representatives of the Republic of Dagestan, who won ten events. Second place went to the team of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. Chechen athletes completed the top three.

Traditionally, the tug of war competition was the highlight of the festival. This time the Dagestan team won with a clear advantage. This was the result of six months of serious training and methodological assistance provided by the Russian Tug of War Federation. RTWF President Alexander Kuznetsov presented the federation's cups and certificates to the winners and medalists.

Tug of war
1. Republic of Dagestan.
2. Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.
3. Republic of Ingushetia.

The festival also featured performances by creative groups, displays of national farmsteads, exhibitions of folk crafts and artworks, and a rally of youth activists with representatives of youth public associations presenting volunteer, patriotic, environmental and creative projects carried out in the Russian regions of the North Caucasus Federal District.