A tribute to sacrifice and courage was the best way to inaugurate the 19th World Festival of Youth and Students, because the only way to build a better world, to serve the most needy, is for all men and women of goodwill to come together, and this is the focus of many youth today.
Thus in Sochi’s Ice Palace, with our flag held high, the Cuban delegation, along with some 20,000 youth from the entire world, heard Russian President Vladimir Putin welcome the crowd and encourage them to fight for a better world, during a dramatic, high-tech inauguration ceremony.
Stunning performances highlighted messages of peace, friendship among peoples, access to health and education, protection of the environment, and social inclusion.
Historic images of Festivals held in the Soviet Union in 1957 and 1985 were projected, giving the Cuban delegation several opportunities to cheer appearances of Fidel, as they did when Nicolás Papadimitriu, president of the World Federation of Democratic Youth referred to the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Che, and Mohamed Abdelazis, figures to whom the Festival is dedicated. (Taken from en.granma.cu)
