Less than a year later from this day, on January 28, 2020, exactly 200 years from the day of the discovery of Antarctica will be celebrated. It is not a secret that the unknown Southern land was searched for starting from the 16th century, but numerous expeditions did not give any result. Let us quote the prominent English navigator James Cook: “I walked around the ocean of the Southern Hemisphere at high latitudes and did it in such a way that I indisputably rejected the possibility of the existence of the mainland ... I can safely say that no one will ever venture to go south further than me".

Antarctica was destined to be discovered much later. Our great researchers F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev made a real feat, reaching the "ice desert", despite the dense ice and fog. Moreover, they were able to go around the sixth continent, which confirmed the very existence of the earth at the south pole. And the fact that this is the mainland, and not just a group of islands under a thick cap of ice, scientists have proven only in the 20th century. Of course, the anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica must be prepared in advance.

And we, the Arctic World Club team together with the Association of Polar Explorers of Russia, held a meeting at which Artur Nikolaevich Chilingarov made clear that Antarctica should remain in the center of attention of Russian scientists. We have worked out the concept of a number of events, including the plan for the regatta Kronstadt - Antarctica, hockey and volleyball tournaments and much more. A special event will be the marathon to the South Pole, a real challenge for the most courageous people. Of course, when confronted with logistics and the scale of our plans, you begin to unwittingly worry about deadlines. But we will do our best to ensure that Russia adequately meets this significant event.