According to the Musa Jalil Tatar Opera and Ballet Theatre press office, over 30 dancers of world’s most famous ballet companies will perform during the festival. Among them are Anais Chalendard, the first soloist of the English National Ballet; Josef Varga, Anna Tsygankova and Matthew Golding, the leading gancers of the Dutch National Ballet; Ekaterina Kondourova, Konstantin Zverev, Elena Evseeva and Andrey Ermakov, the soloists of the Mariinsky Ballet Company; Kristina Kretova, Mikhail Lobukhin, Egor Simachev and Ivan Alekseev, the stars of the Bolshoi Theatre; Georgi Smilevski and Anastasia Pershenkova, the soloists of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre, and many others.

The cgala concert of the Rudolph Nureyev International Classical Ballet Festival (Stage director is Alxander Polubentsev) will see the performance by Viengsay Valdes Herrera and Osiel Gouneo Martinez, the leading dancers of the National Ballet of Cuba; Natalia Moskvito and Oleg Klimyuk, the soloists of the Dresden Semperoper; Irina Tsimbal and Maksim Kuiroga, the stars of the Vienna State Opera and others. Alexey Yagudin, the Olympic figure skating champion, will make a special guest appearance at the gala concert as well.

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate

«Cheerleading performances help to keep teams and the audience in high spirits, to reduce fan’s aggressive behaviour. Technigues, artistic impression, showmanship are of importance here. All these elements help to create a positive fan environment,» said Yanet Iminbaeva, a resident of Building 16.

Compared to the previous edition, this year the cheerleaders demonstrated a much better performance and physical fitness. They added more acrobatic elements in their routines, made their performance more sophisticated and created more exciting dance movements.

According to the Universiade Village Mayor, who also attended the championship, cheerleading is close to a form of art. «It includes sports dancing, gymnastics and acrobatics. I was pleased to see male participants at the championship. This event has given residents of the Universiade Village another chance to reveal their potential through sports. I want our students to be the best in this sport!» Farid Abdulganiev said.

Residents of Building 19 took the third place, Building 14 was a runner-up and Building 5 snatched the main trophy thanks to their breathtaking performance. The winners will be awarded at the solemn gala concert scheduled to be held on May 25 in the UNICS Culture and Sports Complex.

He is also confident that despite the fact that the Summer Universiade’s schedule will coincide with the dates of Wimbledon’s Grand Slam event, many titled tennis players will come to play in Kazan. If the weather brings no surprises in summer 2013, the Universiade tennis tournament promises to be a success, Dave Miley said. So far test events are due to be scheduled in Kazan, their format is currently under discussion. One thing can be said for sure, the tournament will be international.

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate

This year the festival’s panel of judges is chaired by Iosif Kobzon; Mikhail Volkonadsky, the chairman of Tatarstan’s 2012 Student Spring Republican Festival, was also invited to judge at the festival. Top talented students will be shortlisted in the Regional Programmes and Choreography categories to perform during Kazan 2013 Opening/Closing Ceremonies and open air cultural activities on the territory of the Universiade Village and concert venues of Kazan.

The Student Spring All-Russian Festival is the only programme in Russia that supports and develops top student talents. It includes hundreds of university-wide, over 70 region-wide and 11 nation-wide festivals that bring together over 1,000 000 singers, dancers, actors and artists.

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate

The agreement was signed by Larisa Sulima, Chief of Staff/Advisor to the Director General of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate, and Pavel Krasnorutsky, Chairman of the Russian Union of Youth.

During the agreement signing event Larisa Sulima also delivered the presentation of the 27th Summer Universiade and FISU Flag Relay. She also recalled that last year, during the previous edition of the Student Spring All-Russian Festival, the Kazan 2013 Summer Universiade project was presented to students from all over Russia and all of them expressed their eagerness to become part of the Cultural Universiade programme.

«We keep selecting talented students for the Kazan 2013 Opening/Closing Ceremonies, for open air cultural activities on the territory of the Universiade Village and concert venues of Kazan. We are positive that the Russian Union of Youth, which unites active and talented youth of the whole country, will bring in some new colours to the Kazan 2013 Universiade project and will charge it with a unique spirit of youth and creativity,» Larisa Sulima said.

Andrey Kondratyev, Deputy Minister of Youth, Sports and Tourism of Tatarstan, attended the opening ceremony as a special guest. «Tatarstan and Russian Union of Youth have been enjoying strong partnership relations for years, plenty of projects have been carried out, the most impressive of which is the 2009 Student Spring Festival that took place in Kazan,» he said. «Now we are to unite our efforts to prepare and deliver the most high-profile and large-scale event – Kazan 2013 Summer Universiade.»

The event took place in the run-up to the Russian Union of Youth’s birthday date. The members of the organisation joke: the Russian Union of Youth is two weeks older than the Russian Federation, Day of Russia’s Independence is June 12, while RYU marks its birthday on May 31, 1990.

The Russian Union of Youth is the largest non-governmental and non-political youth organisation in Russia, it’s mission is to help young people to find their place in the world, to fulfill themselves and to reveal their talents.

The programmes inititated by RUY draw up to 1 mln participants every year. Its regional organisations and representation offices function in 73 federal regions of Russia, with RUY organisations being established in higher education institutions, technical schools, lyceums, high schools and enterprises.

Today the Russian Union of Youth implements about 20 national and over 200 inter-regional programmes and projects for working youth, students and scholchildren. The range of programmes is impressive and focuses on a number of areas: education, training, patriotism, career orientation, entertainment, culture, sports, etc.

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate

Over 600 U.S. athletes will be competing in the World University Games in Kazan, Nels Hawkinson said. Top student athletes will be selected from the trials that have already started. For reference: 215 U.S. athletes took part in the Belgrade 2009 Summer Universiade, a little over 400 were sent to the Shenzhen 2011 Summer Universiade.

According to Hawkinson’s forecast of winning medals in swimming, track and field and basketball, which is indeed no wonder since North American athletes are traditionally strongest in these three sports. But at the same time he doesn’t guarantee medal-winning success in belt wrestling, sambo and, possibly, chess. Still, given a large number of medals that will be decided in 27 different sports, there will be a competition between Russia and USA for the top place at the Kazan 2013 medal tally, the BTI Events Executive Director said.

BTI Events facilitates and provides logistical support for all types of athletic teams traveling to domestic and international events. In December 2009, BTI Events became the official managing partner for the US-IUSF, the American arm of the International University Sports Federation, which is the organisation responsible for sending U.S. athletes to the World University Games.

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate

The forum’s programme also includes the presentation of the 27th World University Summer Games.

Musa Chiliev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Ingushetia, attended the opening ceremony as a special guest.

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate

The internship programme includes a detailed acquiantance with the build-up to the Games and project management. All workshops are hosted by representatives of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate. On May 13, on Day 1 of the internship programme, Azat Kadyrov, 1st Deputy Director General of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate, shared his professional knowledge with the interns and answered all their questions. The RMA students took a look at how Kazan had won the bid to host the 2013 Summer Universiade and what organisations were involved in preparing and staging the Games. Moreover, the interns were also briefed on the sports schedule of the forthcoming Universiade and paid special attention to implementation of marketing programmes.

Managers of Tatartstan’s top professional sports clubs – FC Rubin, HC Ak Bars, VC Zenit – also attended a few workshops to share their experience and knowledge with the students of RMA. They spoke of marketing programmes that are carried out in their clubs, of training athletes and operating training and competition facilities.

Aside from that, the interns were offered to take a tour and get a closer look at Kazan’s sports facilities where universiade competitions will be held – Burevestnik Sports Complex, Kazan Tennis Academy, Universiade Village, Rowing Centre and others. The Games venue managers unveiled the mechanisms used to promote their venues and to draw more spectators for sporting events. The tour of Games venues helped the students to get inspired by the atmosphere of the city which is getting ready to host the 2013 Summer Universiade.

Liliya Barieva, FISU IEC Executive Director and Director of the Knowledge Management Department of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate, hosted the kick-off meeting with the interns. She noted that the Universiade was more than sports, it was an event that also comprised a large-scale cultural and educational programme. And another thing the RMA students learned was that the Universiade’s mission was to leave a strong positive impression on its participants and rich legacy for global university sports.

The students showed a vivid interest in the lecture: they kept asking question after question about novelties that Kazan was going to introduce in staging the Summer Universiade and reforms that are being conducted presently in the International University Sports Federation. Other frequently asked questions were about how the host city was going to meet and greet visitors and accommodate them in the city’s hotels, etc.

«A chance to visit Kazan and see with our own eyes how the city is getting ready to host the future Games is a very good experience,» the students said.

For reference: the FISU International Education Centre which was created on Russia’s initiative in the run up to the Games is a unique education institution designed to preserve and pass on knowledge in the sphere of sports industry management and sport event management. The centre is run on the basis of the Volga Region Academy of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism and is an integral part of the Kazan 2013 Legacy. It’s the first FISU project that focuses on training university sports managers.

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate

«It’s definitely a milestone event. The Kazan Universiade serves as a true impulse to bring Tatarstan’s musicians and artists together. We should keep culture in mind at all times,» Igor Sivov said. According to him, all bands, artists amd musicians that will sign similar agreements will perform during open air cultural events due be held in the Universiade’s Cultural Park and Universiade Village.

Cultural activities are to be launched any time soon; the Sounding House of Sofia Musical Marathon will be organised on June 1 to celebrate International Children’s Days. The Mark Pekarsky Percussion Ensemble (Moscow), Zarechye folk ensemble, New Music chamber orchestra, composer Radik Salimov and his colleagues will organise an open air performance. The orchestra will be playing from the balcony of the Centre of Contemporary Music where Sofia Gubaildulina once lived.

«Signing of the agreement is a historical moment, as any citizen of Kazan who is not indifferent to what is going on in the city feels it important to be part of the city’s life. I’m very pleased and proud of this event, as our centre will need this cooperation, and we are the cultural brand of Kazan and Tatarstan,» Lyailya Garifullina said.

Another Z-day for participants of the Cultural Universiade project is July 6, 2012, which is exactly a year to go to the Kazan 2013 Summer Universiade.

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate

Alexey Sozinov, KSMU Rector, welcomed the meeting participants with a warm speech. He noted that the university’s birthday celebrations are usually held a few days after Russia’s greatest holiday – Victory Day – and thanked veterans for a peaceful sky above our heads. He also said thank you to all Tatarstan athletes that win victories on international sports arenas. «But true victory is victory over ownself,» he said, pointing out the significance of playing sports and living a healthy life.

Sergey Mironov, Chairman of the Children and Youth Committee of the Executive Committee of Kazan, expressed the same opinion. Gulnur Khusnutdinova, Chairman of the Republican Health Care Workers Trade Union, wished all present to stay healthy and attend hospitals only as doctors.

Alexander Karpov, Director of the Volunteer Department, delivered a speech on behalf of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate. He mentioned that the medical university had one of the best volunteer centres in Kazan and reminded that next summer Kazan would have to prove to the world that Kazan was the capital of sports and healthy way of life.

Dinar Bariev, 1st Vice President of the Student League of Tatarstan, noted that the event, launched to commemorate KSMU’s 198th anniversary, was of importance to all students of Kazan, and promotion of sports and healthy lifestyle bore special significance in the run up to the 2013 Games.

Solomon Kverkvelia, the FC Rubin player, greeted the audience and showcased the Russian Cup that was claimed by the famous Kazan club in a tight struggle against Dynamo MOSCOW a few days earlier.

The meeting culminated in a flash mob dance and all those who attended the event by chance were offered to undergo a free medical examination and receive health improvement recommendations from medical volunteers of Kazan State Medical University.

Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate