Construction of Russia’s first Academy of Table Tennis starts in Orenburg
RELEASE
Release
Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, launched the construction of the country's first Academy of Table Tennis in Orenburg today.
Taking part in the ceremony were Igor Levitin, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation, Denis Pasler, Governor – Chairman of the Orenburg Region Government, as well as heads of Gazprom Dobycha Orenburg and the Fakel-Gazprom table tennis club (Orenburg).
The Academy of Table Tennis will be built with funds provided by Gazprom and will be located near Russia's and Europe's largest Table Tennis Center which was opened by the Company in 2013. The Academy is designed for year-round accommodation, education and training of 100 young talented players from all over Russia, including those with disabilities.
The Academy building will comprise residential and educational facilities, a gym for table tennis and team sports, a medical station, a canteen, and a rest center.
“In 2013, we built the Table Tennis Center in Orenburg to acknowledge the great sporting merits of our beloved Fakel-Gazprom table tennis club, and of course we also built it as a recognition of the fact that Orenburg is the capital of table tennis in Russia. The outcomes are excellent – the students of the Center show great performance defending their club's colors.
Today, we are taking another step forward by starting the construction of the Academy, where talented children from all across the country, from all regions of Russia, will be given the opportunity to play their favorite sport side by side with professional athletes. They will live and study in the facility and of course perfect their skills in table tennis,” said Alexey Miller.
Background
The Russian Table Tennis Center was built under the Gazprom for Children program.
The Center, which covers a total area of around 5,000 square meters, includes a large sports hall for holding training sessions and competitions at the national and international levels, a small gym for warm-up and training activities, a rest center, a workout room, and a convention hall.
The Center can accommodate around 1,000 athletes daily, including those with disabilities.
Fakel-Gazprom (Orenburg), which was established on October 20, 2001, is the most award-winning table tennis club in Russia and Europe. The general sponsor of the club is Gazprom Dobycha Orenburg, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom.
Achievements of the Fakel-Gazprom team:
- eleven-time champion of Russia (2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022),
- four-time winner of the Russian Cup (2006, 2009, 2012, 2018),
- holder of the ETTU Cup (2010),
- holder of the European Super Cup (2012),
- five-time winner of the European Champions League (2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019).