Russian-French Competition Held in Saint Petersburg Today

A competition entitled the Russian-French Rally - 2003, which is dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the city, is being held in Saint Petersburg today. 300 school children will be taking part at the event, which is being organised by the French embassy in Russia.

As a Rosbalt correspondent reports, the teams face various creative tasks in both Russian and French, most of which are connected with the history and culture of Saint Petersburg and Russian-French ties. The children will visit the French Institute and the Alliance Francaise in order to answer questions on historical ties between Russia and France. There will also be other creative activities such as translating the recipe of a dish in a popular local restaurant Le garcon into French.

The competition will end in the Anichkov Palace where French Consul to Saint Petersburg Stefan Visconte will lead the award ceremony. The prize for the winning team will be a trip to a French summer camp to practise their French. All the participants, however, will receive a small memento or prize in memory of the occasion.