In future, the Mayor said, a huge 40-metre high cup, erected on the bank of the Kazanka River, will become a landmark recognised all over the world. The media centre will be   accepted as a new symbol of Kazan, alongside  such historic buildings as the Kazan Kremlin. At Games time this unique piece of architecture is to become an iconic image of the 2013 Summer Universiade.

Ilsur Metshin called the project nothing less than ‘a killer’, as neither Kazan nor even Russia has witnessed the construction of this scale before. The venue also features a unique look-at-me architecture that attracts attention. The soaring cup will add beauty to the Kazanka embankment and will be visible from all parts of the city.

According to the Mayor, the city has ambitious plans to develop the Kazanka embankment in the build up to the 2013 Games. The capital of Tatarstan, standing at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers, will get two embankments conveniently planned according to modern building requirements. One of them will stretch from the Kremlin, through the Kazan National Cultural Centre, to the Millenium Bridge. The other one, that is currently under design process, will be built near the Shurale Amusement Park. It will be put up along the right bank of the Kazanka River through the Riviera Hotel and Entertainment Complex and will reach the new football stadium.

The construction of a public garden, where the future media centre will be located, has already begun. The design of the venue is being developed at the moment. When completed, it will be offered for public discussion.

At present the builders are conducting so-called dredging activities. Large quantities of sand are delivered to the construction site from other regions of the city. Every day the construction crews perform the maximum amount of work to complete dredging operations before spring comes, and spring flood with it.

«We have February and half of March before the high water season starts. We need to deliver a required amount of sand and install a brace sheet wall which is piled only in frozen ground. A lot has to be done from the scratch,» the Mayor said to the journalists.

After the Games end, the media centre will be converted for public use and will house the city’s Register Office with halls for official ceremonies and marriage rooms, since the number of couples willing to get married is rapidly growing and the Central Wedding Palace fails to keep up.

The Kremlin and old Kazan landscape in the background will add solemnity and special appeal to the new Register Office. Parks and public gardens laid out on the territory surrounding the future Register Office will offer Kazan citizens places to relax and have fun. »We have only a year left to implement these plans,» the Mayor said.

The construction was commissioned by Tatarstan’s Ministry of Construction, Architecture and Housing. The general contractor is Kazantsentrstroy that has already started excavating the ground. The design documentation is being drawn up by Tatinvestgrazhdanproekt.

Source: Tatar-inform Information Agency

It turned out that the support of newly gained fans became a guarantee of U13‘s success in the preliminary (in absentia) round of the You Gotta Dance TV project, when the dance group made it through to the next round via viewer vote. The members of the dance group – Ruslan Afanasyev, Roman Bedusenko, Rustem Mavletberdin, Marat Kazikhanov, Grigory Kirillov and Dmitry Feklin – were also joined by the Action Crew break team, another artists from Kazan.

The distinctive feature of the dance group from Kazan is a variety of dance styles presented by each of the male dancers: one of them is extremely good in break dance, the other one has no rivals in popping, the third one excels in jazz  modern. Moreover, the outfit they wore for the elimination round featured the logo of the 2013 Summer Universiade, and a kaleidoscope of their talents found a broad response among panel members and turned them from an underdog team into obvious leaders of the project.

You Gotta Dance is a reality television show of dancing competitions. Dance crews from all over Russia gathered for the project to create, to learn, to share experience and struggle for the main prize of the project – 500,000 rubles and an opportunity to film a professional clip with a showbiz celebrity.

For the You Gotta Dance project’s final, U13 prepared a brilliant dance performance with singer Vlad Sokolovsky. The TV series will air in March 2012.

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate

The briefing was timed to coincide with a symbolic date: 500 days to go until the start of the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan.

Vladimir Leonov also revealed that 700,000 tickets were expected to be sold under the 2013 Summer Universiade ticketing programme. It had been decided that free ticket distribution practices were not an option for Kazan 2013. But everything will be done to ensure that holders of tickets to the 2013 Games events will enjoy a full service that comes with the ticket. Vladimir Leonov confirmed that the sales of tickets for the 27th Summer Universiade would officially open on July 6, 2012 which marks exactly one year to go to the 2013 Games. The Opening and Closing Ceremony tickets will go on sale first, followed by sales of tickets to sports sessions, including medal events.

Official sales of souvenir items featuring the logo of Kazan 2013 will also launch this July to coincide in time with the start of ticket sales.

During the Q&A session with media, Vladimir Leonov confirmed that the construction of the new 45,000-seat football stadium, the centrepiece for the 2013 Games which will host the Opening/Closing Ceremonies of the 27th Summer Universiade, would have been completed by the spring of 2013. The Kazan 2013 Ceremonies rehearsals must start there on March 1, 2013.

«The so-called infrastructure budget of the 2013 Summer Universiade totals approximately 100-120 bln rubles,» Vladimir Leonov said. «This budget will cover: construction of the infrastructure, modernisation of a number of venues, transportation infrastructure, etc. In fact, it is the overall volume of investments which is to be allocated in the build up to the 2013 Games,» he said.

Moreover, there is an operational budget to support the staging of the Universiade. As of today, 10.5 bln rubles had been approved for it. This will also be made up of contributions from Partners of Kazan 2013, as well as ticket revenues and licensing, Vladimir Leonov stated.

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate

The mission of the National Council for Children and Youth Associations of Russia is to unite efforts of youth and children NGOs with a view to guard their interests, to protect and promotes the rights of children and young people. In addition, the Council creates conditions for the development of Russia’s youth and children movement; renders legal, financial, media and other support to youth and children NGOs; consolidates young people for the purpose of guarding their interests, protecting the rights of children and youth; develops and implements youth policy programmes; works hard to establish an international platform for international youth cooperation; represents the interests of Russia’s children and youth movement on the international scene.

One of key areas of the National Council’s activity is development of exchanges and an intercultural dialogue between young people. The All Different – All Equal International Youth Forum that was organised by the Council in 2008 in Kazan is one of the brightest examples of this activity.

Under the signed cooperation agreement, members of the National Council for Children and Youth Associations of Russia are obliged to promote the ideas of the 27th Summer Universiade among youth, as well as to to train volunteers for the 2013 Games. With joint efforts, the 2013 Games organisers and National Council will build global youth relationships in a spirit of respect, tolerance, and mutual understanding, as well as develop a cross-cultural dialogue. One of priority joint projects is the International Youth Forum scheduled to be held in Kazan in June 2012.

Larisa Sulima, Chief of Staff of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate, warmly welcomed the National Council for Children and Youth Associations as a new partner of the Universiade and noted: «The National Council is indeed going to become one of the key strategic partners of the Universiade Directorate. Boasting many years of successful experience in social and political activities and a whole range of bright and fruitful projects in the sphere of youth policy, the Council can make a significant contribution to the preparation and staging of the World University Summer Games in Kazan, as well as champion the idea that the Universiade is the project of all Russian youth.»

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate

Under the signed cooperation agreement, international students and graduates will join the ranks of Kazan 2013 volunteers and be appointed missionaries of the 27th World University Summer Games in their home countries. It is expected that, during the 16 months left to go until the start of the Games, international students will have been conducting Kazan 2013 presentations in their home countries to encourage fellow citizens to register as volunteers at the Universiade.

Larisa Sulima, Chief of Staff of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate, extended her greetings to new partners of Kazan 2013: «International students studying in Kazan will perfectly blend in Team 2013 and will even more highlight its international nature, and emphasise the global significance of the forthcoming Universiade. There are 40 functional areas with a variety of volunteer opportunities available, and international students can choose a position of their liking. However, I’m confident that most members of the association will become assistants to national delegations and will help to ensure a warm welcome to guests and participants of the Universiade; they will guarantee that Kazan will feel like home for foreign athletes. This is proved by our positive experience in hosting test events.»

On behalf of the International Students and Graduates Association of Kazan, Adeniji Adebajo admitted that the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be involved in the preparation and staging of the 2013 Summer Universide was a great honour for international students. «We are happy that we can be useful to the world and render our help in hosting such large-scale events as the Universiade,» he said.

The International Students and Graduates Association was established in 2007 through the offices of the Children and Youth Committee of Kazan. Being responsible for implementation of a whole range of social and cultural projects, the organisation serves as a mediator between higher education institutions, Executive Committee of Kazan and international students.

Up to 2,500 international students from 47 countries of the world study currently in Kazan, including 900 people from non-CIS countries (Africa and Latin America) and 1,600 people from CIS states. The higher education establishments most popular among foreign students are Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, Kazan National Research Technological University, Tupolev Kazan National Research Technical University, Kazan State Medical University, Kazan State University of Culture and Arts, Kazan State Agrarian University, Kazan State University of Construction and Engineering, Kazan State Power Engineering University, Kazan State Academy of Veterinary Medicine, TISBI University of Management, Volga Region State Academy of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate

Another fact worth mentioning is that Kazan 2013′s volunteer recruitment and training programme is built upon the past experience in hosting high-profile events in Serbia (Belgrade 2009), Turkey (Erzurum 2011), China (Shenzhen 2011), and also on the ongoing London 2012 Games Maker Programme. Having studied best practices of selecting volunteers for large-scale sporting events, the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate has constructed questions and questionnaires for selection events.

Nearly 50 volunteers of Kazan 2013 best suited to a volunteer recruiter role will be selected to go through training and will start work at the selection centre any time soon.

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate

Vasily Kuznetsov and Nikita Khakimov swept the men’s doubles gold medals, while Svetlana Korotysheva and Anastasia Panyushkina became best in the women’s doubles. Nikita Khakimov and Anastasia Panyushkina claimed the second consecutive gold in the mixed doubles events. Vasily Kuznetsov and Svetlana Korotysheva, university mates and colleagues of Khakimov/Panyushkina, finished as runners-up. Both doubles duos study at Moscow State Forest University.

Hot on the heels of the victory ceremonies, we caught Tatarstan’s top badminton player Pavel Fomin behind the stage of the tournament and asked to answer a few our questions:

— Pavel, what is the current championship’s benefit for the development of athletes’ sports careers?
— The top 5 teams deсided at the championship earn berth in the European university team competition. It takes place in summer; honestly speaking, I have no idea, where it will be held this year. Our team’s task is to get into this top 5. As for individual events, I rank 15th among Russian badminton players, but I cannot say for sure, who has the highest ranking at the current championship. The thing is almost all best badminton players study are student athletes.

— Currently every interview with a young athlete features a Universiade-related question. So, what are you plans for Kazan 2013?

— Of course, Kazan 2013 is in my plan. I’m 23 now, and it’s my final year of the Master’s Degree; but this summer I plan to pursue postgraduate studies. So, everything is under control here. All I need is to earn a call-up to Team Russia. We, student athletes, have the same rivals as in professional badminton. Top players are from Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Chelyabinsk – all these cities have strong badminton centres.

Djaudat Abdullin

Special to kazan2013.com

Needless to say, the event rehearsal would have been impossible if it were not for Kazan 2013 volunteers who helped the organising committee and role-played FISU Family members, members of the organising committee, representatives of TV broadcasting companies, copyright holders, accredited media people and other client groups of the future World University Summer Games. Apart from that, volunteers were executing their direct duties; they escorted ‘officials’ and ‘athletes’ and also assisted in a number of other functional roles. Up to 170 volunteers took part in the rehearsal.

The roles of basketball players were assigned to the students of the UNICS junior school. They played a fully-fledged match: four periods of ten minutes each.

A situation was modeled during the rehearsal to test the organising committee’s competence in various fields of  responsibility: accreditation and access zone definition for different client groups, meeting and seeing off athletes, emergency care on the field of play, doping control, TV broadcasting, media coverage of events, victory ceremonies and event management of the final press conference. In order to test their response skills ahead of Kazan 2013, the organisers also ran through a few on-field incidents. When, in the middle of the match, an overexcited ‘fan’ ran onto the field chanting  «Russia! Russia!», the security guards came up with the required response in a timely manner and quickly caught the ‘disturber’ to take him out of the hall.

Emergency care drills were also carried out to render first aid to one of the ‘organisers’ that ‘broke a leg’: health care providers and medical volunteers took the ‘injured organiser’ out of the field, gave emergency medical treatment and ‘sent her to hospital in an ambulance’.

Rehearsals like the one today is invaluable in the context of the preparations for the 27th World University Summer Games in Kazan, 1st Deputy Director General of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate Azat Kadyrov said.  «Today we’ve conducted our first rehearsal of real-life Games-time situations at an actual venue.

Of course, not everything went as smooth as expected but the main purpose of the rehearsal was to test the theoretical model of preparing and staging the events to its full extent. We will conduct a profound analysis; we’ll take into consideration observation and feedback from our volunteers that, as I hope, will make the backbone of the volunteer team. In the near future, we plan to hold similar rehearsals in each of 21 venues where the final competitions will take place,»  Azat Kadyrov summed up.

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate

Not surspisingly, the Swedish cuisine attracted most interest of the students. The event’s organisers arranged a surprise and offered the residents of the student campus to treat themselves to a cup of hot coffee and national pastries that were more than appropriate on a frosty February evening.

Besides, to increase the efficiency of cross-cultural communications between students of Kazan and foreign visitors at Games time, the Universiade Village residents became familiar with Swedish traditions and memorised key Swedish phrases. The first one the students learned by heart was «välkommen att hälsa på oss», which means ‘welcome to our place’.

The meetings under the Learn Cultures of Kazan 2013 Participating Nations Project will be held up till the very start of the 2013 Games and will help students to get acquainted with the cultures of all countries competing in the Universiade.

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate

The Krasnoyark Economic Forum’s programme also featured special sections for future sports managers: Fashion for Sports, University Sports, Sports Infrastructure, Personnel for High-Profile Events, City Environment. Young people that arrived from all parts of the country presented their sports development projects that, after being successfully presented and substantiated, can be implemented in the run up to the 2013 World University Summer Games in Kazan and 2019 Winter Universiade, that Krasnoyarsk strives to be the host city for. The Kazan 2013 delegates also attended a few sections as young experts.

Within KEF’s youth forum, top executive of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate Vladimir Leonov hosted a seminar titled «Management of High-Profile Sporting Events: 2013 Summer Universiade». Many topical questions related to volunteerism, Games management and marketing were raised by leaders of student organisations during this seminar. In a friendly and open atmosphere, Vladimir Leonov established a dialogue with young promising activists from all over Russia that have every chance to become successful sports managers.

In addition, Vladimir Leonov confirmed the Directorate’s readiness to share their experience with the colleagues from Krasnoyarsk and render consulting services both during the bid campaign and in the build up to the 2019 Summer Universiade, in case it will be attributed to Krasnoyarsk. To acknowledge their intention to cooperate, the two parties signed a cooperation agreement in the sphere of sports.

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate