Ufa becomes 30th city on Russian leg of Torch Relay

On June 18, the Flame of the 27th World University Summer Games visited the 30th city on the Torch Relay run, as inhabitants of the Republic of Bashkortostan host city of Ufa greeted the main symbol of the Universiade. The Torch arrived in Ufa after its previous stop in Orenburg. The 38 Torchbearers were the heroes of the Relay, carrying the Flame through the streets of the city.

The length of the Ufa Torch Relay was about 7,300 metres, and the route passed through the main streets and squares of the city. The Torch Relay began in the square in front of the Palace of Youth, where the first torch was set ablaze by Merited Master of Sport and eight-time Paralympic swimming champion Oksana Savchenko.

The route in Ufa traversed through 50 Let Oktyabrya, Tsurupy, Lenin and Pushkin Streets, and it ended in Salavat Yulaev Square.

The honour of carrying the Torch went to top university students in the city and to famous athletes. They included Aleksey Seliverstov, a bobsledder who won silver at the 20th Winter Olympics, European champion and multiple world champion; Niyaz Faizullin, Russian super heavyweight champion, repeat Russian medallist and European champion; and Russian Paralympic fencer Marat Yusupov, winner of numerous Russian, European and world championships and participant in the Summer Paralympic Games. Joining the students and athletes as Torchbearers were volunteers and representatives of youth organisations and the 2013 Summer Universiade's partner companies.

“The Relay was just brilliant! At first, all the Torchbearers were worried, what if something goes wrong, but everything was really cool! Thanks to the Torch Relay, all the people of Ufa came together and enjoyed a wave of positive emotions. I really want to go to the Universiade to cheer for our team," said Torchbearer Alyona Safina.

Ufa capped the Torch Relay with the lighting of the City Cauldron in Salavat Yulaev Square. The honorary lighter of the Universiade Flame Cauldron was Rinat Kireev, Master of Sport International Class in Weightlifting, world weightlifting champion and winner at the 2011 Summer Universiade.

The ceremony was attended by Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan Farid Mukhametshin, Chairman of the State Assembly of Bashkortostan Konstantin Tolkachev, Bashkortostan Youth and Sport Minister Andrey Ivanyuta and Deputy Head of the Administration of Ufa Municipal District Ramil Dilmukhametov.

"Today is a historic day in the life of our city and our country: the Universiade Flame has visited Ufa. For the first time in the history of the World University Games, we have a unique opportunity to witness the Universiade's main symbol, which has travelled tens of thousands of kilometres and visited five continents. The Universiade in Kazan will be attended by representatives of our country. I hope they will contribute to Russia's medal count," Tolkachev said.

"The Flame is gradually moving toward the Universiade in Kazan and is now in the beautiful city of Ufa,” Mukhametshin remarked. “We have spent five years preparing for this grandiose celebration of sport and youth. We have built new sports facilities, new infrastructure and an underground. Kazan is ready to welcome visitors from all across the planet. We will be looking forward to seeing residents of Ufa in our city!" 

When the Torch Relay was completed, Mukhametshin handed a souvenir torch to representatives of the Republic of Bashkortostan. 

Ufa became the last city on the Russian leg of the Torch Relay. Next, the main symbol of the Universiade will journey through municipal districts in the Republic of Tatarstan. On June 20, residents of Bavly, Urussu and Bugulma will become the first in the republic to greet the Flame.

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.