OREANDA-NEWS. Vyksa Steel Works (JSC VSW, Nizhny Novgorod region, a part of United Metallurgical Company, CJSC OMK) received an award from the government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region for its active sponsorship of regional sports.

A VSW representative received a government award in Nizhny Novgorod at the end of January; it took place during the ceremony when the best athletes and teams of the region receive awards following the 2013 results. The event was visited by Dmitry Svatkovsky, the Deputy Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, and Victor Kharitonov, Minister of Sports and Youth Policy of the Nizhny Novgorod region.

“Support of professional and amateur sports and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle among young people are priority lines of our company's social policy. We are happy that the region's government recognized our activities in this sphere,” VSW Managing Director, Sergey Filippov, commented on the award.

VSW renders assistance to the Vyksa Sambo School; its students have been honorably representing Russia at large international competitions for 20 years already. Since 2004, the company has been arranging the annual All-Russian sambo competition in dedication to the memory of the Batashev brothers, the founders of VSW. Since 2011, Vyksa hosts Russian sambo competitions and championships through the support of OMK and VSW. In April of 2014, Vyksa will host the Russian sambo student championship. VSW is co-organizer of the city's ski festival and the “Sports Against Drugs” campaign. The plant sponsors the “Metallurg” (Vyksa) soccer club, which plays in the second division (“Center” zone) of the Russia soccer championships. The plant sponsors four “Metallurg” ice hockey teams, which consistently participate in regional competitions. In 2013, OMK arranged the World Snow Day in Vyksa under the auspicies of the International Ski Federation.