took place on February 20, 2025, the opening ceremony of the III Patriarchal International Festival of Martial Arts and Martial Arts "Cup of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nicholas of Japan" took place at the Mytishchi Arena sports complex in the Moscow region. This year's festival, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, was held from February 21 to 24.
Before the official opening of the event, an exhibition dedicated to defending athletes from the Great Patriotic War and participants in a special military operation was presented in the lobby of the Arena Mytishchi Sports Complex, as well as various events for children and youth.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia sent greetings to the participants, in which he noted that the festival promotes the popularization of mass sports, as well as the spiritual, moral and patriotic education of the younger generation.
"It is significant that the tournament is taking place in a particularly significant year for our country and the Church, in which we celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, as well as the 55th anniversary of the glorification of St. Nicholas of Japan," His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said in his address. — It is no coincidence that this saint was chosen as the patron saint of the Patriarchal Festival. Taking care of the preaching of the Gospel among the Japanese, St. Nicholas studied the language, history and culture of the Land of the Rising Sun well. On his initiative, Japanese martial arts were taught at the Tokyo Theological Seminary, and one of his students, Vasily Oshchepkov, mastered judo and returned to Russia, becoming the founder of the national sambo martial art."
The opening ceremony was attended by Anna Kuznetsova, Vice Speaker of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Metropolitan Mitrofan of Murmansk and Monchegorsk, Chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports, Bishop Kirill of Sergiev Posad and Dmitrov, Vicar of the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra, as well as veterans of military operations and participants in their military operations, representatives of law enforcement agencies and supervisory authorities. government agencies, coordinators of the public organization "Russian Community", sports officials, coaches, Orthodox youth of Moscow and the Moscow region.
The choir of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the Stavropol State Cossack Song and Dance Ensemble and the orchestra of the Russian National Guard performed at the opening of the festival.
Since February 21, the festival has hosted events to promote Russian and Japanese martial arts and martial arts, meetings with famous athletes, demonstrations, workshops, exhibitions, round tables and press conferences.
Before the opening of the festival, an icon with a fragment of the relics of St. Nicholas of Japan was brought to the area of the Russian Orthodox Church and nine dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church. A fragment of St. Nicholas' relics was donated in 2013 for worship in Russia by the ever-memorable Metropolitan Daniel of Tokyo and All Japan, who also gave his blessing to the festival.
The martial arts tournament dedicated to the enlightener of Japan has been held in the Moscow region since 2011. Over the years, it has been attended by over 45,000 athletes and 100,000 spectators. Since 2016, athletes with disabilities have been participating in the festival. The event has become a significant event in the world of martial arts, and since 2022, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, it has the status of a Patriarchal Festival.
In 2025, the festival brought together more than 4,500 athletes from more than 60 regions of Russia and seven foreign countries. The competitions were held in 16 sports.