More than 40 of the best young basketball players have been recognised at the Golden Ball ceremony, which took place on 14 February 2016. The athletes received prizes in 12 categories, such as: Breakthrough Player of the Year, Small but Precious, We Rock, Best Newcomer, Coach of the Year, Team of the Year, and others.

The Golden Ball event is the annual awards ceremony for the best basketball players taking part in the Development of Basketball as a Mass Sport for Children and Teenagers in Solikamsk and Berezniki project. Every year, Uralkali donates about RUB 30 million to support this project.

Uralkali’s basketball project has the accompanying slogan: “Play basketball — Be Successful!” Last year, the young athletes achieved excellent results. The teams of boys born in 2000 and 2003 both finished as runner-up at an international tournament in Serbia. At an All-Russian tournament in Yekaterinburg, the teams of boys born in 2001, 2002 and 2003 took first, second and third place, respectively. In 2015, two teams from the Kali-Basket initiative had successful debuts in the VITA competition — a junior league for teams based in the Urals and Siberia. These two teams each took first place in the Krasnoturinsk and Pervouralsk Children’s Basketball Leagues in the 2014-2015 season. The team of boys born in 2003 won the Perm Territory Championship.

Note to Editors:

Uralkali’s Development of Basketball as a Mass Sport for Children and Teenagers in Solikamsk and Berezniki project was launched in March 2013. There are currently 28 basketball clubs in Solikamsk and Berezniki that are affiliated to Kali-Basket, where about 1,500 athletes between the ages of 5 and 15 train. There are four coaches from Serbia and three elite Russian specialists who are working with the children. These specialists have previously worked in leading basketball clubs in Russia. Funds from Uralkali were used to purchase 2,000 training outfits, sports equipment and to repair 10 sports halls. Every year the following competitions take place at a town-wide level: New Year Mayhem, First Steps, the Street-Basket outdoor competition, and the Junior Kali-Basket school basketball league. The players participate in regional, national and international competitions.

Uralkali (www.uralkali.com) is one of the world’s largest potash producers and exporters. The Company’s assets consist of 5 mines and 7 ore-treatment mills situated in the towns of Berezniki and Solikamsk (Perm Region, Russia). Uralkali employs ca.11,000 people (in the main production unit). Uralkali’s shares are traded on the Moscow Exchange.