The “Share the Energy of Inspiration” project opened an exhibition in Khanty-Mansiysk

Gazprom Neft and the Special Olympics of Russia conducted art practices for athletes with mental disabilities. An exhibition of the participants’ works opened at the Special Olympics tournament in Khanty-Mansiysk. The works also formed the basis for the Gazprom Neft corporate calendar for 2024.

The project was called “Share the energy of inspiration.”

The athletes, assisted by the artists, prepared collages in which they described how they found support and energy to exercise daily.

The works are planned to be exhibited in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Omsk, Orenburg, Tomsk, Tyumen and the cities of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug in 2024. The art project is intended to draw attention to the Special Olympics movement and show that the main value of sports is not medals, but the opportunity to communicate and find energy.

Gazprom Neft has accumulated extensive experience in implementing inclusive partnerships. The company supports the Anton Is Near Foundation, Peterhof orphanage No. 1 and the Simple Things inclusive workshops.

The President of the Special Olympics of Russia, Olga Slutsker, expressed gratitude to Gazprom Neft for its assistance in creating conditions for athletes’ self-realization. “Our athletes are not only athletes, but also, without exaggeration, heroic people who can share their ideas and energy,” Slutsker said.

“When I’m nervous before going on the sports field, my coach always encourages me and says: “Anya, you will succeed,” said Special Olympics athlete Anna Bogdanova. She drew a cosmic bowling alley with a planet instead of a ball and the inscription “Anya, you will succeed.”

Deputy General Director of Gazprom Neft Alexander Dybal said that the company has been attracting contemporary artists to cooperation for several years. “Working with contemporary art, we together create creative projects that allow us to attract public attention to important topics, including inclusion,” said Dybal.