Large streetball tournament in Kazan 16.08.2010

Streetball competitions were simultaneously staged in 55 Russian cities. Over 100,000 boys and girls got a chance to try hand in this spectacular and beautiful sport.

The Kazan tournament was organised by the Mayor’s Office under the sponsorship of MegaFon, general partner and official mobile operator for the World Universiade 2013 in Kazan. Moreover within Athlete’s Day celebration MegaFon held a series of tournaments in Kazan.

The Orange Ball tournament takes place in the Olympus Sports Complex: there are ten playing areas in the outdoor venue. The tournament entrants are mainly young people but there are teachers teams as well and even select teams of the district state administrations. Besides the streetball championship gathered the players from Naberezhnye Chelny and Leninogorsk as well, the Tatar-Inform news agency reports.

There were three age groups in the tournament: age group 1 (under 17), age group 2 (ages – 18, 19) and age group 3 (ages – 20 and above). Four players were allowed in the team (3 players plus 1 reserve). Apart from the championship the organisers held different events like a three-point shootout for example. MegaFon awarded 3G-modems to all the participants and winners.

The opening ceremony was attended by Minister of Youth Affairs, Sports and Tourism Rafis Burganov, Chairman of the Kazan Committee of Physical Culture and Sports Ilgiz Fakhriev, Deputy Director of the regional office of MegaFon Sergey Obydennikov. The honorary guests congratulated the championship entrants on Athlete’s Day and wished them the best of luck. As Mr Fakhriev stated the current tournament justified Kazan’s status as the capital of sports.

One of the best pro basketball players of Russia, UNICS team captain Piotr Samoylenko addressed his welcome speech to the amateur players.

For more details about the tournament kazan2013.com asked a few questions to Nastya Koroleva – coordinator of the Univesiade 2013 volunteers that assisted with the organisation of the tournament.

Anastasia Koroleva, coordinator of the Univesiade 2013 volunteers

- How many volunteers worked at the streetball championship and what were their duties?
- There were 14 volunteers at the championship: 4 boys and 10 girls. It’s is generally thought that a top-quality event depends on the quality of volunteer work. We did our best to entertain people, to help the referees, to watch the meeting times, to deliver protocols, to give away promotional products, to prepare trophies and medals for victory ceremonies, to carry out the accreditation procedure of the entrants.

- As far as we know it’s not the first event you volunteer for. Did this championship differ from those you had worked at?
- Everything was surprisingly accurate and well coordinated. Maybe it was because the heat subsided in Kazan. The tournament lasted a day and was labeled as a successfully held event.

- How did the tournament entrants treat you? How do athletes and volunteers usually communicate?
- Unlike days-long tournaments this event lasted a day and unfortunately we had no time to make friends with the athletes. Especially because there were no volunteer attaches who usually accompany the teams. Nevertheless volunteers wearing white tees with the Universiade logo were cheered everywhere. I think that if we had had more time we could have made friends!