Universiade Museum accepts and gives gifts
Five days ago, on June 29, the first Universiade Museum opened its doors. Many interesting and famous people have visited it while it has been open. Today the museum welcomed its 1,000th visitor.
One of the visitors to the museum was Fritz Holzer, who was head of the Swiss delegation at the Moscow Universiade in 1973. He added exhibits to the unique exhibition. These valuable gifts included: medals, photographs, badges and banners from the 1973 Summer Universiade. A tour of the unique museum space was organised for this honoured guest, after which he shared his impressions. “It’s a fantastic museum – a wonderful collection of memories about university sport!” Fritz Holzer, an Honorary Member of FISU, remarked with admiration.
The guest was moved by the functioning torch from the 2011 Summer Universiade from Shenzhen, gifted by President of the International University Sports Federation, Claude-Louis Gallien, with whom Fritz Holzer posed for a souvenir photograph.
There was another celebration today at the Universiade Museum. At about 11 o’clock this morning the name of the 1,000th visitor to the exhibition became known: it was Nick Vodjik, an Australian field athlete. The sportsman received not only an individual tour of the museum but also congratulations and some very nice souvenirs of the museum. “I was quite surprised to be the thousandth visitor. I’m very pleased. Thank you for the tour. It was interesting to find out about the past Universiade,” Nick Vodjik shared his impressions and promised to give some new exhibits to the museum.
The museum organises tours during which all the participants in the Games can learn about the history of Kazan on its journey to holding the 2013 Summer Universiade. During the organisation of the exhibition, the organisers collected more than 600 exhibits dedicated to sport and sporting achievements. In addition to historical sporting items which were used in the 1980s and 1990s and many diplomas and cups, the museum has a large collection of photographs, medals of famous Russian athletes who competed at UIniversiades, as well as competition clothing and many other items.
The museum is proud of the gifts from leading Kazan and Russian athletes who have taken part in the World University Games. These include the foil of the female Olympic fencing champion, Nailya Gilyazovaya, Merited Master of Sport, the competition strip of the gold medal winner from the Shenzhen 2011 Summer Universiade, the weightlifter, Andry Demanov, the swimsuit and goggles of Olympic competitor and World Swimming Championship prize winner, Yana Martynova and many others.