Delphic Games energize Astana
ASTANA. October 5. KAZINFORM There was an influx of youthful energy to Astana on September 24-29, with the arrival of 800 young people from 16 countries, to participate in the Seventh International Youth Delphic Games of the CIS member states on the theme "Energy of Youth".
The Games enlivened the most famous locations across Astana, including the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, the Palace of Schoolchildren and the National University of Arts, the Kazakh MFA's press service said.
The Delphic Games are unique in encompassing a variety of art forms ranging from classical to modern times, including piano, folk singing, pop singing and even web design.
In Ancient Greece, the Delphic Games took place one year prior to the Olympic Games for nearly 1000 years - until both games were banned as heathen Games in 394 BC. The Olympic Games resumed after the founding of the International Olympic Committee in 1894. The Delphic Games for arts and culture were revived with the founding of the International Delphic Council (IDC) in 1994.
In these Seventh Youth Delphic CIS Games, the Visual Art and Academic Singing categories attracted the most countries, while Folk Dance and Modern Dance had the highest number of participants. New additions included a poetry competition and a spectacular circus event, which proved exceptionally popular with the audience.
According to the international jury - composed of members from Moldova, Turkey, Italy, Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Romania and Ukraine - the standard of competition across all 19 categories was exceptionally high, with several winners of other international competitions among the participants. Kazakhstan's team took first place in the folk dance category.
Among the youngest participants was Liza Karaulova (15), who won the gold medal in the piano competition.
A student at the Moscow Conservatory, Liza was accompanied by her mother Diana and father, Armen Igoryan, Director of the Yerevan State Choreography Academy. Mr Igoryan praised the organization and professionalism of this year's Delphic Games.
At the closing ceremony in the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Science, Aliya Galimova, thanked all the young competitors for "being part of a magnificent fabric of imagination, creativity and beauty, over the course of a few days in which participants from 16 different countries spoke a common language of good".