Russian Youth Volleyball Cup Final finishes in Kazan

After the final match of the Russian Youth Volleyball Cup, a press conference was held in the press centre of the Saint Petersburg Volleyball Centre in which journalists posed questions to volleyball coaches and players. Among those answering journalists’ questions were Vladimir Gudima, the head coach of SDYuShOR-Lokomotiv-2 (Novosibirsk), the winner of the tournament; Konstantin Osipov, the winning team's captain; Mikhail Chernyshev, Executive Director of the Youth Volleyball League; and Oleg Bryzgalov, Director of Zenit-Kazan Volleyball Club and Vice-President of the Volleyball Federation of the Republic of Tatarstan.

“Everything was well-organised and went great. Friendly staff and volunteers could give the answer to any question. Everything was wonderful,” Konstantin Osipov, who won the Russian Youth Volleyball Cup for the second year in a row, thanked everyone.

“Both victories mean a lot to me. Last year, we won the trophy. This time, we wanted to prove that it was a deserved win. We wanted to show we are the best,” the volleyballer continued.

The head coach of the Siberian team was also happy with how the Russian Youth Volleyball Cup Final was organised.

“Everything was great. It's a pity we couldn't go sightseeing. We missed our tour because we had a practice session on a our day off,” the coach said.

According to Mikhail Chernyshev, Executive Director of the Youth Volleyball League, Kazan raised the bar for those cities that will host the Cup Finals in the future.

“The event management gets an A. I would like to thank everyone responsible for it. All necessary conditions were created for that. It is an honor to be in the future home of the Universiade,” Chernyshev said. “Kazan set high standards that other cities will have to achieve now. Thank you very much!”

He also noted that the Russian Youth Volleyball Cup proves its value.

“It is a successful project, and we are happy with it. The youth can gain experience which is vitally important at this age," the specialist commented. “We already see the results. New volleyballers appear in the youth national team. The progress is noticeable."

Oleg Bryzgalov noted that the Russian Youth Volleyball Cup Final will help those who organise the Summer Universiade to get well-prepared for the main multi-sport event of this summer.

“We are grateful to the Volleyball Federation of Russia for accommodating us. We had an idea to combine two important events - a test event for the Universiade and the Russian Youth Volleyball Cup Final. And I have to admit we've discovered some weak points,” Bryzgalov noted. “The teams showed us good games, but it would be better if there were more spectators. The tournament was a good chance for us to understand what should be done to stage a successful Summer Universiade. These days were very productive.”

As was reported earlier, among the members of Russia's national volleyball team who will be defending our country's honour at the Summer Universiade 2013 are Olympic champions Dmitry Ilyinykh and Aleksey Obmochaev. You will have a chance to see with your own eyes the volleyball games played by renowned athletes and to cheer on the Russian national team from 6 to 15 July. Tickets can be purchased at ticket offices around the city and on the website of the Official Ticket Operator of the Universiade – KASSIR.RU – www.kassir-kazan2013.ru.