Exactly five years ago, on April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant fire resulted in the release of radioactive material. The plenary session served to commemorate those who died and suffered from the accident and called for a world-wide abandonment of nuclear power as an energy source. Soviet Olympic champion Korbut and other speakers described their personal experiences and involvement with the Chernobyl assistance and anti-nuclear power movements.

The Conference for a Nuclear-Free 1990s called the Chernobyl fire the worst industrial accident of the modern age. The plant is located in the Soviet Ukraine. The accident was amplified by the Soviet Union’s secrecy when the accident occurred and their poor power plant designs which are not used by other countries employing nuclear power.