UniversiadeTorch Relay travels through Penza

On June 13, the Flame of the 27th World University Summer Games arrived in the 26th city on the Russian leg of the Universiade Torch Relay: Penza’s residents greeted today the main symbol of the upcoming Summer Universiade. 48 Torchbearers carried the Universiade Flame along the squares and streets of one of Russia’s major student centres.

The Torch Relay in Penza passed through the city’s central streets and squares, starting in Privokzalnaya Square where the first torch was lit and finishing in Lenin Square. The Torch Relay culminated in the lighting of the Universiade City Cauldron.

The city’s best students and famous athletes had the honour of carrying the Universiade Flame. Among them were Master of Sport International Class in Athletics and bronze medallist at the 2010 European Cup Yuliya Voyevodina, Merited Master of Sport in Diving and Sydney 2000 Olympic champion Igor Lukashin. Irina Smirnova, Merited Master of Sport in Rhythmic Gymnastics and senior coach for the regional team in group rhythmic gymnastics also took part, along with volunteers, representatives of youth organisations, and the 2013 Summer Universiade's partner companies.

“The Torch Relay is a very important event. I’m very glad that Penza hosted the Relay and that I was given the right to be a torchbearer. The Universiade’s cool! I’d like to thank all the organisers of this great celebration of sport and youth. Great job, Kazan! You can’t miss this kind of event. I’m definitely going to the Universiade in Kazan,” said Olga Kuleshova, Director of the Penza Office of OAO SOGAZ's Saratov Branch.

Natalya Belugina, Merited Master of Sport in Rhythmic Gymnastics, had the honour of lighting the City Cauldron. Natalya is also an international tournament winner, a repeat national title holder and coach of the Penza Oblast rhythmic gymnastics team.

The Republic of Tatarstan’s Justice Minister, Midkhat Kurmanov, also took part in the ceremony. Along his side were Valery Savinov, Сharimain of the Penza Oblast Government; Yury Alpatov, Mayor of Penza; Alexander Gulyakov, Rector of Penza State University, and Artur Panteleev, Chairman of the Penza Oblast’s Committee for Physical Education and Sport.

“Today, our region greeted the Universiade Flame, the little Olympic Flame. This is the main symbol of friendship, health and peace. There are great sport traditions in our region: Penza is known for its athletes and its great masters of sport. That’s why the Torch Relay taking place in our city is a significant event that has gathered together all of Penza’s residents,” Yuri Alpatov noted.

“Today you all have become part of the Universiade, because the Flame that the Torchbearers carried through the streets of Penza today will be lit at the World University Games’ Opening Ceremony on 6 July,” Midkhat Kurmanov said. “Universiade venues are ready to host guests from all over the world and I welcome you all to the Universiade in Kazan with all my heart.”

“We are happy to welcome the Universiade Flame in Penza today. The symbol of the World University Games has travelled around half the world and is now travelling around Russia. Penza has the honour of being part of the Torch Relay in the lead up to the Universiade’s Opening Ceremony.” Valery Savinov noted. “University sport is well developed in Penza and I’m sure that the representatives of our region will perform well at the upcoming Games.”

At the end of the ceremony, Midkhat Kurmanov gave a souvenir torch to the Penza State Museum of Regional Studies as a gift.

The Universiade Flame will leave tonight for the next city on the Russian leg of the Кelay, Saratov. Saratov’s residents will greet the main symbol of the World University Games on 14 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.