The Gazprom Football for Friendship (F4F) Programme, scheduled to be held in Moscow between June 8^th – 15^th, will be participated by 12 year old Indian youngsters, Surya Varikuti and Rudresh Gaudnour. As a part of the programme, F4F has launched an Ecological initiative within its educational and humanitarian mission.

The Ecological initiative was kick-started by the HAPPY BUZZ DAY event in Moscow, participated by the young Ambassadors of the programme and Football for Friendship followers. The event aimed to draw attention of people all over the world to rare and endangered animal species – Amur Tiger, Red Panda, Baltic Seal, Large Fig Parrot, and Red Ruffed Lemur, one of the largest lemurs of Madagascar. The ecological missions was also joined by the reserves of rare species of animals from Nepal, USA and Russia.

The name of the event was not chosen by chance; one year before, on the same day, a lemur named Buzz was born in the Duke Lemur Center, who became the symbol of the ecological mission of Football for Friendship programme this year. The Red Panda Network from Nepal, the Amur Tiger Center and the Friends of the Baltic Seal Fund from Russia joined the campaign. As part of the event, F4F also organized a charity exhibition dedicated to the first birthday of Buzz. Dozens of other environmental actions and marathons were also conducted around the world in frames of the Football for Friendship Ecological Initiative.

In order to promote the defense of wildlife and to increase interest of new generations in conservation and protection of the world fauna, the 32 football Teams of Friendship that play against each other in the Gazprom Football for Friendship International Championship were named after rare and endangered species of animals. Surya Varikuti will play as a defender in the “Orangutan” team, along with his 12 year old teammates from Georgia, Lesotho, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles and Belarus.

As a part of the Football for Friendship Programme, the kids will also participate in the International Friendship Camp from June 9^th -11^th in Moscow. On these days, an ecological activation will be launched together with representatives of the Ecological Funds worldwide who will be lecturing and performing interactive master-classes about preservation of the extinct animal species. The ecological initiatives will also be discussed at the International Football for Friendship Forum on June, 13, 2018 that will be held in a unique complex of Moskvarium – the largest roofed oceanarium in Europe that gives the audience an opportunity to see rare inhabitants of the sea world within touching distance.

The main aim of the Ecological mission of the Football for Friendship programme is to draw attention of the children and adults to the problems of the environment. They will also be alerted about the protection of the environment and the careful attitude that needs to be showcased towards our environment.