Kick-off press conference held in Universiade Main Press Centre

 

The following persons took part in the press conference: President of the International Federation of Student Sport (FISU), Claude-Louis Gallien; Deputy Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation, Natalya Parshikova; President of the Russian Student Sports Union, Oleg Matytsin and General Secretary of FISU, Eric Saintrond.

When speaking at the press conference, Claude-Louis Gallien responded to questions which journalists frequently ask: “What is the Universiade, who organises it, why it is necessary and why the 2013 Summer Universiade is held in Kazan."

The President of FISU in particular remarked that the Universiade is very important, first of all, for students, volunteers and young journalists, who participate and work here, since their participation in events of such a scale can be an excellent starting place in their careers. In addition, the Universiade is important not only for Russia and Tatarstan but also for the development of university sport in general.

Claude-Louis Gallien talked about the events and activities held under the aegis of FISU. In particular he mentioned the fact that the organisation of the sports competitions, although a priority, is not the only area of work he focuses upon. The International Federation of Student Sport is also involved in educational programmes and supports youth development in general. “The young people, whom the FISU  concentrates upon, are one of the symbols of Kazan, since there are more than 150,000 students here, and for this reason the capital of Tatarstan was rightly chosen to the host of the 27th World University Games," remarked Claude-Louis Gallien.

 

The FISU President also stressed that the newly created sports complexes will be used to hold the FINA World Championships and the FIFA World Cup, while the unique Universiade Village will be and already is the most modern student campus in Russia, and hostel of Kazan Federal University. In addition, such international events of the like of the Universiade will undoubtedly attract universal attention and make the region even more attractive for tourists.

Cladue-Louis Gallien also picked out another venue created during the preparations for the Universiade - the Medical Centre of the Universiade Village. Equipped with state-of-the art technology, the centre will also remain as a legacy of the Games. This and a whole series of other features will make the life of the general public more comfortable and safer.

Replying to journalists’ questions, the FISU President stressed that FISU does not aim to compete with the Olympic Games, quite the contrary, the Universiades should be seen as a sort of trampoline and opportunity for cities and countries enabling them to attract major sporting and not only sporting events. On the other hand, the infrastructure created for the Olympic Games can be used as a perfect base for holding the World University Games.

 

Natalya Parshikova emphasised the significance of the Games for Russia and quoted the main statistics relating to their preparation. She mentioned that 10,442 competitors from 162 countries around the world will take part in the 27th Summer Universiade. They will be competing for medals in 27 sports, 13 of which are compulsory, and 14 are included as optional in the programme and 5 sports have been included for the first time. Parshnikova remarked also that 2,297 referees will judge the competitions, 1,472 of whom are from Russia, and 824 of the total number are international category judges. The Russian national team will also be the most impressive – 663 competitors from 193 universities and institutes in 72 regions of the country. The Deputy Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation also emphasised the fact that the Government of the Russian Federation has decreed that competitors who win prizes at the Universiade will also receive monetary allowances, which will be a new feature of the World University Games.

Quoting a few more figures, Natalya Parshikova mentioned that 36 new venues had been built specially for the Universiade.

Parshikova spoke of the changes to the transport infrastructure in Kazan – the construction of the intermodal branch – the fourth in Russian and also the extension of the metro lines, as well as the provision of special transport for visitors to the Universiade. She also mentioned the accommodation, feeding and medical services for competitors in the Games, referring to the main tasks which had to be resolved in this area.

The Deputy Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation also remarked that during the preparation for the Games, more than 30 test competitions had been held, as well as special training sessions, titled 'The Four Days of the Universiade'. She also spoke of the resolutions passed by the Government of the Russian Federation aimed at creating the most comfortable conditions for competitors in the Universiade. This included visa-free entry for the competitors, and also certain tax concessions for volunteers in the Games.

The President of FISU and the Head of the Russian delegation at the Universiade, Oleg Matytsin, spoke in detail to the journalists about the Russian students’ movement and the roster of the Russian team at the 2013 Games. He also stressed that for many years, from the very creation of the FISU, our country had played a major role in the activity of the federation, and that the main aim of this activity had always been to develop cooperation between countries. Today this tradition continues and Russia has the most impressive membership in the FISU. Our country invests enormous work in the development of student sport and the events taking place over the next days in Kazan are the driving force of this process. Matytsin also emphasised the fact that the Universiade in Kazan is setting new standards for organising Games of such a rank. Unique features of the project are the Universiade Torch Relay, the creation of an International Education Centre, the holding of the FISU - Gala, and debriefing for the Games organisers. Oleg Matytsin also spoke of the enormous interest expressed by the international sporting community in the Kazan Universiade, in particular stressing the fact that the opening of the Games will be attended in particular by candidates to the post of the Chairperson of the International Olympic Committee.

The head of the Russian team also said a few words about the members of the team. At these Games, the country will be represented by 17 Olympic champions and 105 Merited Masters of Sport. However, Oleg Matytsin emphasised that the competition will be very great and named our main competitors - Japan, China, USA, Korea and Ukraine. The head of the Russian team also revealed a little secret – the flag bearers at the forthcoming Opening Ceremony will be Dmitry Khomyakov, a student of Kazan Federal University, Master of Sport International Class in Weightlifting, world student champion 2012 and world youth champion.

Eric Saintrond, the General Secretary of the FISU, spoke of the massive interest in the Games on the part of the mass media. He remarked that according to the latest information, Eurosport plans not 60, as had been previous reported, but 140 hours of direct broadcast, and the interest in the Games on the part of television channels has been growing like a snowball – for the first time in the history of the Universiade, ESPN, the American sports channel, is offering 100 hours of broadcast time. Asian and African television companies will also be broadcasting the competitions. “Such interest is completely unprecedented,” Eric Saintrond remarked.