From August 11th to 17th, the Greater Altai International Tourism and Sports Festival was held in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Delegations from four countries bordering the Altai Mountains —Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China—took part in the event.

Vladimir Sinitsyn, a research fellow at the Altai State University Space Monitoring Center, participated in the festival’s extensive program as both an athlete and a sports judge representing the Russian team.

Vladimir competed in rock climbing, rafting, catamaran racing, mountain biking, Nordic walking, skyrunning (uphill running), gorodki, and tug-of-war.

Vladimir Sinitsyn commented:

"Participating in international competitions has been a long-standing dream of mine. Sport has always been an important part of my life. I regularly represent our university team in various sports at Spartakiada competitions, and I also attend the volleyball and table tennis sections at Altai State University. This year, I was offered to join the Russian team at the Greater Altai International Tourism and Sports Festival. I previously participated in this festival as a sports judge in 2019 and 2023, but this year I decided to try competing as an athlete.

After seven days of competition, the Russian team won gold. Vladimir Sinitsyn earned two individual medals in rafting and mountain biking, bringing his total number of international medals to two.

Sharing his impressions of the festival, Vladimir said:

"The competition was organized to a high standard. For the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to try rock climbing and skyrunning. Running uphill at 30-degree heat was a real test of endurance. There were other adventures, but they brought our team closer together." The awards ceremony took place in Chongkur Square in a festive and friendly atmosphere. It was a pleasure to meet athletes from Russia's neighboring countries; we became friends with many of them, and I hope to see them again in two years at the next festival, which will be held in Kazakhstan.