Bangalore, Aug. 2019 : The Tournament was held on August 1-2 in the PRO ANGLERS LEAGUE format of the European boat spinning tournament. Participants from different countries gathered to compete in the waters of the Gulf of Finland. The event was held near the Leningrad nuclear power plant (NPP), which is Russia’s largest operating NPP.
20 amateur competitors from Russia and countries where Russia’s ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation is implementing nuclear power plant projects, such as Hungary, Egypt, India (Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant), Bangladesh (Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant) and Turkey, took part in the tournament.
The Tournament aims to strengthen international cooperation between the countries, as well as to clearly demonstrate the safety of the proximity of nuclear power plants for the flora and fauna of nearby water bodies.
Derek D’Souza, Vice President of the All India International Game Fishing Association (AIGFA) and an avid fisherman himself, said: “I really enjoyed participating in such an interesting event. The fact that it’s held in front of a nuclear power station with teams from many other countries makes it more challenging and allowed us to see that nuclear energy is safe.”
Santosh Kolwankar, the President of the All India Game Fishing Association “I have seen many countries benefitting from recreational fishing. I believe this tour gave me a unique experience as it is a first of this kind international angling event. I will try my best to use the acquired knowledge for organizing angling events of international standards in India.”
The process of fishing itself was the key during the competition. After weighing, the fish were released back into the sea. Russian professional anglers, winners of Russian national and regional fishing competitions, as well as independent foreign experts from Czech Republic and Egypt judged the tournament.
An official award ceremony took place at the end of the event. The winners were the team from Egypt. The second and third places were taken by fishermen from Russia and Hungary respectively. Participant from Hungary was awarded a special prize in “the biggest catch” nomination. Turkish team was awarded a special prize in the “determination to win” nomination.
During the tournament, the participants also visited Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant located in Sosnovy Bor, and were able to get familiar with the operation of the nuclear power plant. The station is among the 2019’s TOP 3 nuclear power plants generating power in Russia.
The event was attended by ecologists who conducted dosimetric control during weighing of fish. “Long-year research studies have been conducted by the Leningrad NPP in the 30-km area show that it does not have any impact on the environment”, added Alexandra Tkacheva, head of the Environmental Department at Leningrad NPP.
