Volunteers from the Church of Scientology of Nizhny Novgorod help launch a different kind of Winter Olympics: the Anti-Drug Olympiad 2014.

Nine hundred miles north of Sochi, a second “Winter Olympics” has just begun: Drug education and prevention volunteers from the Church of Scientology Mission of Nizhny Novgorod helped launch the Anti-Drug Olympiad of 2014, an initiative aimed at helping youth live healthy, productive, drug-free lives.

The event was held at a Nizhny Novgorod sports school that educates young athletes including future Olympic hopefuls. Already oriented to living a healthy drug-free lifestyle, these youth were eager to learn about and participate in the program.

Russia’s Federal Drug Control Service estimates that every year some 100,000 young people ages 15 – 34 die of drug abuse and at least 8.5 million Russian citizens, or 6 percent of the general population, use drugs.

The Anti-Drug Olympiad 2014 aims to reduce these statistics by educating youth on the truth about drugs and encouraging them to embrace a healthy lifestyle. By understanding what drugs are and what they do, youth can make their own self-determined decisions to live drug-free.

Scientologists on five continents work in their communities throughout the year to empower others with the truth about drugs. The Church and its members are dedicated to eradicating drug abuse through education.

The Church of Scientology supports The Truth About Drugs initiative, one of the world’s largest nongovernmental drug education and prevention campaigns.

The Church of Scientology has published a brochure, Scientology: How We Help—The Truth About Drugs, Creating a Drug-Free World, to meet requests for more information about the drug education and prevention initiative it supports. To learn more or read the brochure, visit the Scientology website.

Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, “The planet has hit a barrier which prevents any widespread social progress—drugs and other biochemical substances. These can put people into a condition which not only prohibits and destroys physical health but which can prevent any stable advancement in mental or spiritual well-being.”