OREANDA-NEWS. May 6, 2009. This year the tournament was dedicated to the 64th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the forthcoming launch of the 2nd unit of Volgodonsk Nuclear Power Plant.

Over 150 sportsmen from 23 regions of Russia (from Vladikavkaz to Murmansk and from Novosibirsk to Moscow) took part in the event. Among them were employees of Leningrad, Kola, Kursk and Volgodonsk NPPs.

The level of the tournament was very high: 27 masters of sport among them 3 acting champions of Russia and 6 medal winners of Russian championship took part in the fights.

This year for the first time ever the competition was held among women.

The tournament lasted for two days with over 120 fights held.

The team of Volgodonsk NPP was the best among the teams of nuclear power plants, Leningard NPP was the second, Kursk NPP – the third.

The team of the North Caucasian Command of Interior Troops won the gold medal of the tournament, the team of Volgodonsk NPP and Rostov region – the silver, the sportsmen of Volgograd region – the bronze.

The teams of Stavropol region, Kursk region and Republic of North Ossetia-Alania were the top three among women.

The founders of the All-Russian open hand-to-hand combat tournament are Energoatom Concern and Volgodonsk NPP. Today, it is one of the most popular sport events in Southern Russia. President of Hand-to-Hand Combat Federation of Russia Alexander Kornilov said that Volgodonsk has become the center of development of hand-to-hand combat in the south of Russia due mostly to the efforts of the local division of the federation led by Andrey Prygin, inspector of the security service of Volgodonsk NPP. “We are grateful to the administration of Volgodonsk Nuclear Power Plant for their contribution to the development of hand-to-hand fighting in Volgodonsk and Rostov region,” Kornilov said.