On February 8, 2026, the opening ceremony of the IV (I Winter) Games took place in Vsevolozhsk, Leningrad Region. The International Sports Games of St. Alexander Nevsky.
About 600 participants gathered for the large-scale winter competitions, which will be held in the Leningrad Region on February 8-13. Young athletes aged 12-14 will compete for the rolling cup of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia in five sports: bandy, snowboard cross, cross-country skiing, biathlon and meeting the standards of the WFSK TRP. Additionally, curling competitions will be held.
The opening ceremony of the Games began with the performance of the troparion to Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky by the choir of the clergy of the St. Petersburg Metropolitanate.
Representatives of teams from 25 regions of the Russian Federation, together with their spiritual mentors, lined up in a solemn parade on the stage. The anthem of the Russian Federation was played.
Musical and choreographic groups performed during the event.
At the end of the ceremony, the anthem of the Alexander Nevsky Games was performed by the choir of the clergy of the St. Petersburg Archdiocese and the flag of the Games was raised.
Game and sports programs were organized in the park for the participants of the event, and a field kitchen was open.
Russians Russian hockey gala, a demonstration friendly match between the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Government of the Leningrad Region, took place in the evening at the Winter Sports Center in Vsevolozhsk.
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The International Sports Games of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky have been held with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia since 2023. The Kemerovo region was the first to hold them. The second games were held in Nizhny Novgorod. In 2025, St. Petersburg took over the baton, and this year, for the first time in the winter format, the Leningrad Region.
The Winter Games are organized by the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports and the Government of the Leningrad Region with the support of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation.
On February 12, the IV International Forum "Faith and Sport" will be held as part of the Games, a discussion platform for identifying new meanings of modern sports, sharing experiences and developing solutions aimed at interacting traditional religions with government institutions and public organizations in order to popularize physical culture and sports, promote a healthy and active lifestyle.
Photo: Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports