FINA executives: it’s a great honour for FINA to be back to Kazan

A press conference marking the kickoff of the 4th leg of the FINA/NVC Diving World Series took place today at the Aquatics Palace, Kazan. Present at the press conference were President of the International Swimming Federation (FINA) Dr. Julio C. Maglione, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sport of the Republic of Tatarstan Vladimir Leonov, Deputy Director General of the Directorate for Sports and Social Projects Ranko Tepavcevic, and members of the Russian national team, Viktor Minnibaev and Yulia Timoshinina.

“It’s a great pleasure and honour for FINA to be back to Kazan where the remarkable FINA World Championships were held in the summer of 2015. Kazan is a great sports city and this year it welcomes the fourth leg of the FINA/NVC Diving World Series,” said FINA President Julio C. Maglione. He also added that many potential participants of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will come to Kazan for the tournament.

Minister of Youth Affairs and Sport of the Republic of Tatarstan, Vladimir Leonov, noted that it becomes a tradition for Kazan to host one of the legs of the FINA/NVC Diving World Series.

“Competitions in diving, one of the most beautiful sports, kick off on Friday in Kazan. It has become a tradition for our city to play host to one of the legs of the FINA/NVC Diving World Series. The world’s top athletes will come to Kazan to exhibit their prowess. When we speak about the FINA World Championships legacy, we imply not only sports venues but also the relations that we gained after the event concluded. We hope that next year Kazan will again play host to a number of major sporting events in aquatics sports. We will be happy to see diving fans at the Aquatics Palace. Tickets are still available; they are still on sale,” Vladimir Leonov said at the press conference.

Viktor Minibaev, one of the leading Russian divers, expressed his gratitude to the event’s organisers on behalf of all athletes. “I would like to thank Tatarstan for this amazing venue where such high-profile events are held. Kazan’s entire sports infrastructure is at the highest level. The city is the sports capital of Russia. For our part, we will do everything possible to offer the audience the most exciting and breath-taking live action,” Minibaev said.

According to Deputy Director General of the Directorate for Sports and Social Projects, Ranko Tepavcevic, diving fans are in for a real treat in Kazan. “I’m confident that the Kazan leg of the FINA/NVC World Series will be staged to the highest possible standard and all fans of this sport will duly appreciate divers’ performances,” Tepavcevic said.

The opening ceremony of the FINA/NVC Diving World Series will be held on Friday, April 22. It will start at 15:00. The first competition day will feature the men’s and women’s 3m springboard synchro events.