The traditional Dinamo sports day included rugby league in its activity programme for the third consecutive year. Eleven teams from eight Association of Rugby League Club (ARLK) members participated in the 90-year-old celebration to promote a healthy way of life among children through sport.

Moscow city side Storm entered three teams and they were joined by Kentavr, Aviator, Locomotiv, Dinamo, Golovkovo, Threshers, Nara and Vereya. The Storm side from Bibirevo – one of the three districts the club serves – took first place in the competition, with Vereya second and Storm North Medvedkovo coming third.

After a six-hour bus journey through the unforgiving Moscow traffic, the teams from Moscow Region joined those city-based in a stiflingly hot Red Square, the competition played in 30 degree heat. The three Region sides – Golovkovo, Vereya, and Nara - all made it out of the groups but the Muscovites were too strong in the final.

ARLK president Edgard Taturyan, who is leading the sport’s bid to reclaim its official status under Russian law since it was removed in 2010, was keen to stress the importance of rugby league’s continuing presence in this official national festival.

“The Red Square tournament is very important to us as the marketing, promotion and public relations [that surrounds the event] is a tool that can help us break what amounts to a Kremlin Wall of ignorance towards rugby league,” he said, going on to add, “it’s a big event for the kids, parents, their friends and relatives from the city and Moscow Oblast.”

The ARLK runs a number of youth competitions throughout the year. The next event is a 9s tournament in Nara in June, followed in July by the 13-a-side Russian Open Championship for U16s.