Kazan 2015 Ambassadors programme launched. Part 2

The Kazan 2015 Ambassadors programme kicked off on August 8, 2014 as part of the celebration on the occasion of One Year to Go to the 16th FINA World Championships.

The project will involve the most well-known, talented and merited athletes and public figures who serve as role models for present-day youth and promote positive values that meet the mission of the 2015 FINA World Championships.

The programme focuses on drawing the public interest to the Championships, as well as promoting and spreading the values of sport, tourism and healthy lifestyles in Russia and around the world.

The Kazan 2015 Ambassadors programme will include about 25 people. They will actively contribute to promoting the Championships, participate in various events, meetings, press conferences, photo and video sessions, contests and encourage people to get into sport and adopt healthy lifestyles. The first Kazan 2015 Ambassadors are:

1. Vladimir Salnikov. Four-time Olympic champion, repeat world and European champion, world record holder, Merited Master of Sport of the USSR (1978). He shares the record for the highest number of Olympic gold medals won by Soviet/Russian swimmers (4) with Alexander Popov. He graduated from the Leningrad State Institute of Physical Culture named after P.F. Lesgaft (1991). Since February 2010 he is the President of the All-Russian Swimming Federation.

2. Irek Zinnurov. Olympic silver medallist (Sydney, 2000), Olympic bronze medallist (Athenes,2004), winner of the Goodwill Games (New York, 1998), bronze medallist of the FINA World Championships (Fukuoka 2001), winner of the FINA Men's Water Polo World League (Greece, 2002), World Cup holder (Belgrade, 2002), bronze medallist of the European Championships (Seville, 1997), head coach of WPC Sintez (Kazan).

3. Dmitry Sautin. Two-time Olympic champion, holder of a record eight Olympic diving medals, Merited Master of Sport of Russia (2000), Vice-President of the Russian Diving Federation.

4. Maksim Sharafutdinov. Russian journalist, Channel One news reader, winner of Channel One’s Vyshka TV project (an analogue of the popular worldwide show Celebrity Splash).

5. Artem Silchenko. Russia’s most decorated high diver, world cliff diving champion, repeat winner of major world championships. He finished 6th at the 2013 FINA World Championships in Barcelona and placed 4th at the 2014 FINA High Diving World Cup in Kazan.

6. Gleb Galperin. Two-time Olympic bronze medallist (Beijing, 2008) in the men’s individual platform and synchro (with Alexander Dobroskok) diving events, world and European champion, Russian champion (2003, 2004), Merited Master of Sport of Russia, President of the Moscow Diving Federation.