On April 2, Saratov University hosted the Interuniversity Linguistic and Cultural Olympiad in the Russian language for foreign students titled The Mosaic of the Russian Word. It was held on the eve of The Russian as a Foreign Language at SSU Third Festival.

More than 80 people studying in Saratov universities took part in the olympiad: SSU, SSMU, SSC, P.A. Stolypin PIM, and SSTU. The event members were students from Algeria, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Egypt, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Korea, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, South Africa, and Yemen.

The Director of the Institute of Philology and Journalism, SSU, Lyudmila Borisova welcomed the audience. She told the participants about the history of the Russian as a Foreign Language at SSU festival and introduced its organisers – the leading teachers of the Department of the Russian Language, Speech Communication, and Russian as a Foreign Language: Professor Alla Baikulova, Professor Tatiyana Milyokhina, Associate Professor Olga Neznayeva, assistants Elena Malashenkova and Anastasia Lukyanova, and a master degree student Yana Potanina. The event is traditionally organised by two university structures – the Institute of Philology and Journalism and the International Office. Lyudmila Borisova congratulated the participants on the opening of the traditional festival and wished them success in writing their work.

Then the students were addressed by SSU Vice-Rector for International Affairs Dmitrii Konakov. He noted the importance of the Russian language in the modern world and the necessity to study it, after which he wished victory to each student and invited everyone to the Russian as a Foreign Language at SSU festival, which is to be held on April 13. This year the programme includes a panel discussion titled The Innovative methods in the System of Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language and a linguistic interactive game for foreign students of Saratov universities. In 2022, the festival is expanding its boundaries: for the first time, the competition tasks of the olympiad will be remotely solved by students from Uzbekistan studying the Russian language.

The results of the linguistic and cultural olympiad will be announced on April 12 and will be posted on the website of the Saratov University. The winners, who won prizes, and their supervisors will be awarded at the closing ceremony of the Russian as a Foreign Language at SSU Third Festival.