On October 1, 2021, the Head of the Representative Office of the FBA EAC in China, Evgeny Bazhov, met with Paolo Venturini, a famous Italian extreme athlete, who gave an interview to the journal of the Association “Eurasian Financial and Economic Herald”.
Mr. Venturini told the readers about his achievements and promising sports projects.
Paolo's achievements are amazing. On January 20, 2019, in the Oymyakon district in the north of the Sakha Republic, he ran almost 40 kilometers at a temperature of minus 52 degrees, covering the distance in 3 hours, 54 minutes and 10 seconds.
A year earlier, an Italian ultramarathoner tested the capabilities of his body by running through the Iranian desert, where the temperature reached plus 67 degrees. 
A new large-scale project this year is “The last Bajkal”, a race for a distance of 630/650 kilometers on the ice of Lake Baikal.
According to the totality of achievements, at the III Northern Forum on Sustainable Development, held at the end of September 2021 in Yakutsk, Paolo Venturini was awarded the honorary status of goodwill ambassador of the Northern Forum– an international non-governmental organization of the northern regions with accreditation to the UN and observer status in the Arctic Council.
It should be said that the 50-year-old Italian devoted most of his career to serving in a special police unit in Padua (Veneto province). He was involved in complex rescue operations in the mountains, at sea, during periods of natural disasters.
Talking about himself, Paolo says: “You need to think not only about yourself, but also about other people. Such races allow us to test equipment, skills that will be useful to me and others to save people's lives in extreme situations.”
As for the upcoming race, Paolo is preparing to run on the frozen surface of Lake Baikal. “A unique place full of charm and legends, which, however, is at high risk due to climate change. In the near future, Baikal may no longer freeze. With my record, I want to focus attention on one of the greatest natural attractions in Russia, the world's largest freshwater resource, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site,” Paolo said.
To the question of Evgeny Bazhov, “What goal do you set for yourself when implementing your sports projects?”, Paolo replied: “I am a very curious person. Therefore, first of all, I want to satisfy my desire to know the world, nature and myself. Nevertheless, it is equally important for me to demonstrate to young people that with great determination, with proper physical training and in cooperation with professionals, a person is able to achieve incredible results that seem impossible at first. It is necessary to have at least willpower, constantly play sports, learn to respect your body, other people and the nature that surrounds us, and then everything is possible!”

In the photo from left to right: the new Italian ambassador to Russia Giorgio Starace and the Italian extreme athlete Paolo Venturini.