The rock festival, which took place at the artificial climbing wall in the “Elem” cultural and entertainment center, became a real sports event for children. Competitions, organized by the climbing club "AGAMA" with the support of the Children's Fund of the Central Council of the youth organization of Turkmenistan named after Makhtumkuli. More than 160 participants aged 4 to 14 years were allowed to climb on a vertical wall under the supervision of adults and with reliable belay.

Interest in climbing programs for children is growing. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the mountaineering competitions are full of exciting moments, and they are incredibly interesting to watch. Or maybe it's because rock climbing was billed as a new sport at the Tokyo Olympics.

Ashgabat rock climbing fans spent many hours in the cultural and entertainment center "Elem", filled with the enthusiasm of its participants - both the youngest and their parents, who were "rooting" for gambling climbers. The organizers of these amazing competitions have provided twelve tracks of various degrees of difficulty on artificial walls, but taking into account that a large group of children aged 4 to 9 years old will take part in climbing. Indeed, more than half of the participants ended up in this age group.

The question was not that someone must win by all means. It was necessary to try and climb "on the rock" without disruption. And the guys did not disappoint, even those who had not previously participated in the competition. Eight-year-old Danila Kasimov and eleven-year-old Eliza Durdyeva, Dmitry and Daria Bulaevs were among the first to conquer all the slopes on the wall with and without a slope, and received certificates from the climbing club.

The high class was demonstrated on the artificial rock by Ulyana Kuntashova, who turned nine years old that day. Climber Aleksey Buzin brought his son Yaroslav to “Elem”, who, despite his five-year age, confidently climbed the heights, and his twelve-year-old sister, Yulia Buzina, a repeated participant in such competitions, twice “passed” all mountain tracks without hesitation.

Makhym Muradova appeared at the children's party, not only to help the organizers of the competition - teammates from "Agama", but also brought all her daughters. Dunya, Malika, Leila and Selbi - were indispensable participants in all sports climbing events, and this time they showed their excellent preparation. The representatives of the youngest group - Y. Gryzalova and M. Shevchenko successfully “passed” all the difficult sections.

 At the end of the competition, all participants of the festival received certificates from the Agama Mountaineering Club and prizes from the Children's Fund. The Children's Rock Festival, which has been held since 2005, has already become traditional. For many experienced climbers, it was the first step in mastering mountain sports.

Vladimir Komarov