Russia Open Games 3

 I competed in the tennis competition today and won by default in the women’s division as there were no local competitors to play against.  There were several competitors in the men’s division.  Medals were awarded in each classification, and there were no incidents.  The venue was an upscale tennis club in a new development near the outskirts of town near Vnukovo airport.  It was quite nice, and the courts were in excellent condition.

Competition also finished in volleyball today without incident and medals were awarded in each classification in the evening.

The football teams arrived at their indoor football field and were greeted by a police encircling the entire field.  They said there had been an earlier bomb threat.  This seemed strange to the event coordinators since the time and venue had been kept a secret for security of the athletes.  The police said the athletes would have to wait until the venue had been sweeped by the bomb squad.  The delay took about an hour, and play concluded at the end of the day without incident.  Medals were also awarded in the evening.

The event organizers also held a tour of the Pushkin art museum of ancient artifacts for those who were not competing in the afternoon and able to attend.  It was an amazing tour and sadly too short as more time was needed to see the entire museum.  The Greek, Roman, and Egyptian sculptings and artifacts were particularly significant!!!

The human rights conference continued in the evening without incident.

Hana Pinard