About the Games

GAMES: HISTORY AND GOALS

The idea of bringing together children who have recovered from childhood cancer at an athletic event was conceived several years ago. The first International Olympic competition for childhood cancer survivors took place in Warsaw, Poland, in 2007. 200 children from Poland, Ukraine, and Belorussia participated in that athletic event. 7 young athletes represented Russia; they won three gold medals in long jumps, discus and running; they also came third in two other disciplines. This international athletic event demonstrated that athletics can restore the feeling of equality for these children, make their lives bright again; encouraging their competitive spirit and desire to win made young athletes brave and strong.

In 2010 the first World Children’s Winners’ Games took place in Moscow. The Games were organized by the non-profit organization Grant A Life and the soccer club Locomotive and were held at the Locomotive Stadium. Moscow welcomed 200 children 7 – 16 years of age from Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia, Poland, Armenia, Latvia, Romania, and Hungary. During two days of June 14 – 15, young athletes competed in individual and team events at the athletic facilities of the Locomotive Stadium.

The Winners' Games are more than a mere athletic event. They are a celebration for those children who have won their main victory over illness. The first Winners' Games opened on June 14th for a reason: June 14th is the International Donors' Day. Help from donors of all kinds is essential in a battle with life threatening diseases.

“Winning is not the main thing!” - taking part in a competition is just as important. A lot of people would argue about this saying but not our young athletes. The greatest accomplishment and glory for them is the ability to feel free, to move around, to do sports. They have been deprived of these abilities for such a long time during their treatment. All our young participants had to faced a life-threatening disease at some point in their lives - the disease took a toll on their own lives and on the lives of their families. Now all that is behind them; these children have completed their treatment and they have their whole life ahead of them.

Our (and your) task now is to help them with their psychological and social adaptation.

Our goal is to support these children, to help them get back to the life they knew before their long battle with their illness - the life full of joy and laughter.

ORGANIZERS OF THE WINNERS' GAMES 2011

The non-profit organization Grant Life.

Our initiative has found support among a lot of friends - large companies and individual sponsors.

Our main supporter and co-organizer of the Games this year is the Forest Tropicana Hotel.

INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS

Participation in the Winners' Games is free of charge. The Games Organizing Committee will bear all expenses for your teams' accommodations, transportation, entertainment, and athletic equipment. You will only be required to cover your travel to and from Moscow.

All teams should be accompanied by:

  • one parent per child
  • one physician per team
  • one chaperone (an employee or a volunteer of the non-profit organization that sponsors the team) per 10 children (no more than 3 chaperones per team)

Each team is welcome to bring one photographer – a child who will not participate in the Games as an athlete but will become part of the team of children. The photographers should also be cancer survivors who will provide photographic coverage of the Games. Requirements: the young photographer should have a professional or semiprofessional photographic equipment and sufficient experience in using it.

Registration should be completed by July 1, 2011. In order to send a team of young athletes to the Winners’ Games, parents, physicians, and non-profit organizations should complete certain documents that will be sent to you upon your request. Athletes from some countries might have to obtain Russian visas. The main requirement for participation in the Winners’ Games is the proof of the completion of the oncology treatment and written permission from an attending physician.