Perm warmly welcomes Universiade Torch Relay

Perm is the 18th city in Russia hosting the Torch Relay. It has the longest route in Russia so far, totalling more than 11 kilometres. The Relay started at Perm State National Research University, passed through Perm Finance and Economics College, the Perm Gates, which is the symbol of the city, Perm Regional Library named after M. Gorky, and finished at the Esplanade, where the City Cauldron was lit.

The best students of the city, famous athletes, volunteers, representatives of youth organisations and corporate partners of the 2013 Summer Universiade became Torchbearers in Perm. Andrey Sabitov, Master of Sport International Class in Armwrestling, silver medallist at the 32nd World Armwrestling Championship, had the honour of starting the Relay.

"It was my pleasure to take part in such an event," said Torchbearer Alyona Amaeva, Master of Sports in Sambo and Belt Wrestling and bronze medallist at the World University Belt Wrestling Championship. "I will be at the Universiade on our national reserve team. I am going to cheer for our sambo wrestlers as I am a sambo wrestler myself. I also like athletics."

"When you carry the Universiade Flame, you feel that you make history. Everyone looks at you, waves and smiles. It gives you a lot of positive emotions!" said Irina Kostevich, one of the Torchbearers, Master of Sports in Sports Tourism. "First of all, the Universiade is for students. It is a chance to show who you are. It is a competition among the best athletes in university sports."

The citizens of Perm gave the Universiade Flame a warm welcome. Thousands of people, including children, youngsters and adults, greeted the Torch Relay waving flags bearing the logo of the Summer Universiade.

“The Perm Krai had the enormous honour of hosting the Universiade Torch Relay today. In our region, about 130,000 students study these days and each one of them contributes to the development of university sports. 27 students from the Perm Krai will participate in the Universiade in Kazan. I think that this is recognition of the contribution that the Perm Krai makes to university sports' development,” noted Viktor Basargin, Governor of the Perm Krai.

“With each day we get a little closer to the main sport event of the year. With every city, the Universiade flame gets closer to its destination: Kazan. I am sincerely happy that Perm has hosted the Torch Relay today, because tens of thousands of sports enthusiasts live in our city. It’s very important that young people feel that they're involved in big world events,”  Mayor of Perm, Igor Sapko, emphasised.

“There are 31 days left until the Universiade Flame is lit in Kazan. This is the largest sports competition in Russia in recent years. Representatives from 170 countries will compete in 27 sports. Today the Universiade Flame is making its way across the country and, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan, I would like to express gratitude to Perm for hosting the Relay so well,” noted Andrey Pominov, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Tatarstan.

To remember the Torch Relay in Perm, Andrey Pominov presented souvenir torches to Viktor Basargin, Governor of the Perm Krai, and Vladimir Malanin, President of Perm State National Research University.

The Universiade Flame will continue its tour of the country tomorrow. The main symbol of the World University Games will be in Izhevsk on 6 June.

The Universiade Torch Lighting Ceremony took place at Paris-Sorbonne University where the first ‘World Student Games’ were held in 1923.

The historic moment in the Torch Relay arrived when the Universiade Flame embarked on a round-the-world voyage aboard the world’s largest bark - the tall ship Sedov. On July 15th, the Torch was handed over to a team of navy cadets – the Keepers of the Universiade Flame. Travelling aboard the bark Sedov, the Torch covered 45,000 nautical miles and repeated the route of greatest sailors of all times. 

The Russian leg of the Universiade Torch Relay started off on January 25, on Russian Students' Day. Travelling from east to west, the Flame is carried through Russia’s 30 top student cities such as Khabarovsk, Yakutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Tyumen, Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Arkhangelsk, Stavropol, Pyatigorsk, Sochi, Rostov-on-Don, Saint Petersburg, Vladimir, Moscow, Perm, Izhevsk, Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod, Yoshkar-Ola, Cheboksary, Ulyanovsk, Saransk, Penza, Saratov, Samara, Orenburg, Ufa and passes through 43 municipal districts of the Republic of Tatarstan, finishing its odyssey in Kazan on July 6, on the opening day of the 2013 Summer Universiade. 2,013 Torchbearers will carry the Universiade Torch as it will make its way all over the country. 

Universiade Torch Relay partners:

Hyundai Motor CIS is the General Partner and Official Transport Provider of the Kazan 2013 Summer Universiade. Hyundai Motor CIS is an exclusive distributor of Hyundai cars in the Russian Federation. Currently the company owns one of the largest dealer networks in the Russian automotive industry and comprises over 140 automobile showrooms.

Coca-Cola HBC Eurasia LLC is an Official Partner of the 27th Summer Universiade Kazan 2013. The Coca-Cola system is a long-standing partner of some of the world’s most important sporting events and places great emphasis on promoting physical activity and healthy lifestyle around the world. Coca-Cola HBC Eurasia gives a warm welcome to the Universiade Flame in Russia and acts as the partner of the 2013 Summer Universiade Torch Relay.

OAO MegaFon is the General Partner of the 27th Summer Universiade Kazan 2013 and the Russian leg of the Universiade Torch Relay. MegaFon is one of the leading all-Russian universal communications operators running its business in all segments of the telecommunications market in Russia. MegaFon became the first operator with a network covering all regions of Russia. It was also the first national operator to launch 3G network for commercial operation and is currently the leader of mobile Internet services.

SOGAZ Insurance Group is the Official Partner and Insurance Provider of the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan. SOGAZ Insurance Group: be nervous only about victories at the games, all other things at the Universiade are insured!

ОАО Aeroflot Russian Airlines is the Official Partner and Official Airline of the 27th Summer Universiade Kazan 2013. Apart from that, Aeroflot is the partner of the 2013 Summer Universiade Torch Relay.

OOO Trade House Forward (FORWARD Sportswear) is the Official Provider to the 27th Summer Universiade Kazan 2013 and official partner of the 2013 Summer Universiade Torch Relay. FORWARD Sportswear is quality, vibrancy, comfort and beautility! Being with FORWARD means being part of achievements and victories of great Russia!