Young cancer survivors competed for the Winners' Cup.

      September 22, 2025 13:46 Society

      From September 20 to 21, the NONC Foundation held the "Winners' Cup" event for the first time — a continuation of the large-scale project "Nizhny Novgorod Games 'We Are the Winners!'".

      Fifty young adults aged 18 to 22 who had oncological and oncohematological diseases took part in the Cup. Most participants were from the Nizhny Novgorod region, but five participants from the Sverdlovsk, Ivanovo, Kursk and Moscow regions and one from the Chuvash Republic also joined the event.

      Over two busy days the participants competed in four areas: football, electronic shooting, an intellectual quiz and sports team-building. A disco battle, where teams could earn extra points, was a special highlight. The finale was a closing ceremony with creative team presentations.

      All teams were awarded medals, and the winning team received the perpetual Cup, which will be handed over to new participants next year.

      "The NONC Foundation has many projects aimed at social rehabilitation, because we understand well: it is not enough to simply cure a child — you need to reintegrate them into life. And while children often have parents nearby, young adults after illness frequently find themselves without support or a safety net. People already expect independence and maturity from them, which the illness did not prepare them for. That is why we have long dreamed of such an event and are glad that it took place," said the director of the NONC Foundation, Irina Zhirnova.

      A graduate of the "Nizhny Novgorod Games 'We Are the Winners!'", Evgeny Kasyanov, said: "I used to attend the children's Games and still remember them with particular fondness. When I learned that the NONC Foundation had come up with a new project for us, now adults, I was initially pleased but did not rush to sign up. I thought the games were no longer for my age. Thanks to the friends who were at the Games with me before — they persuaded me! Now I understand: if I hadn't gone, I wouldn't have forgiven myself. The Cup is a completely different level and brings different emotions. It's a place where you don't need to explain anything, where you can be yourself, and where you once again feel that you can do more."

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