Ministry of Sports of the Republic of Tatarstan

Kazan meets world aquatics championship flag

5 August 2013, Monday

An official ceremony, to meet the FINA flag, was today held at the Aquatics Palace in Kazan. Attendees were President of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, and mayor of Kazan, Ilsur Metshin. Kazan will in two years host the world aquatics championship. The FINA flag was on Sunday handed over to Kazan in Barcelona.

“It not just a month ago that me and you with tears in our eyes said goodbye to Universaide 2013. Yesterday I had the great honour on behalf of our city, republic and country for the first time ever to receive the world aquatics championship flag,” said mayor of Kazan, Ilsur Metshin. “From yesterday, Kazan that is rightfully called Russia’s sports capital becomes the aquatics capital,” he said, adding that it was a very large event, since the championship in Barcelona had been watched by an over 3.5-billion TV audience.

To a round of applause from the stands, I. Metshin gave the flag to President of Tatarstan, R. Minnikhanov, who gave it to the champion at the 2013 first Olympic festival in the Netherlands and future participant in the WAC in Kazan, Ernst Maksumov.

The event is expected to be held in 2015, between 17 July and 2 August. A total of 65 competitions will over the time take place, to be participated by over 3 thousand athletes. The programme includes swimming, open-air swimming, diving, high diving, synchronised swimming and water polo.

A spectacular show was on the occasion held at the Aquatics Palace. One of the hosts was the three-time Olympic champion, synchronised swimmer, three-time world champion, nine-time Europe champion, Maria Kiseleva.

IA "Tatar-Inform"

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