Komi Republic to Host Arctic Delphic Games for First Time

The Komi Republic city of Syktyvkar will host the first Youth Arctic Delphic Games on 24–28 November. The competition will bring together more than 600 artists aged 10 to 25 years. The competitive and festival programme of the games includes competitions in 10 categories that contribute to the development of creative industries and the identification of young talent and unique specialists.

“The Arctic is not only a region that is playing a growing role in world politics and economics. The Arctic, above all, offers important human potential that ensures its sustainable development and special people who have the qualities that are essential for life in the North. I am certain that the Arctic track of the Delphic Games will help draw attention to this region, contribute to the development and promotion of the applied arts of peoples of the North, and also introduce the general public to the cultural diversity and traditions of people who live in high latitudes,” Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Arctic Senior Officials Nikolay Korchunov said.

Participants in the games will compete for 28 sets of medals. The nominations include piano, violin, pop and folk singing, folk dance, photography, fine and culinary arts, folk instruments, as well as artistic crafts. The panel of judges will include roughly 40 cultural and scientific figures. The first Youth Arctic Delphic Games will conclude with a gala concert on 27 November, during which the competition winners will be able to show off their skills to a large audience.

The games will also include a traditional international conference, whose participants will discuss the special aspects and positive practices of creative industries in the regions of the Arctic zone. In addition, the competition organizers have planned a race on hunting skis, as well as a sightseeing tour and cultural programme.

The creative competitions are part of the Creative People regional project of the national Culture project. The games aim to promote the implementation of the decrees of Russian President Vladimir Putin “On the Strategy for the Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and Ensuring National Security for the Period until 2035” and “On the Year of Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Russia in the Russian Federation”.

The games are being organized by the National Delphic Council of Russia and the Government of the Komi Republic in cooperation with the federal authorities of the Russian Federation. The competitions will be held under the patronage of the International Delphic Committee under the auspices of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO.

The Delphic Games consist of complex competitions in art as well as applied and exploratory creativity. The games are part of a global system that aims to search for and support young talent, ensure the self-fulfilment of young people in artistic, scientific, technical, and creative fields, and educate the younger generation.

Russia is the chair of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023. As chair, Russia aims to promote the fulfilment of youth potential in the Arctic, ensure their access to education, as well as expand and strengthen youth exchanges in a wide range of areas, including volunteering, entrepreneurship, the development of creative industries, the environment, and the improvement of urban areas. Russia supports the Arctic Council’s educational projects for Indigenous children ‘Children of the Arctic’, ‘Nomadic School’, and ‘International Arctic School’, among others, while advocating for the development of cooperation and the exchange of experience in this area. In addition, Russia is in favour of developing and implementing special programmes, professional championships, and training that focus on the country’s northern regions.