2013 SU Update: 25th Universiade Venue inaugurated

KAZAN – The official inauguration ceremony of the Sankt-Peterburg (Saint Petersburg) Volleyball Centre saw the attendance of Tatarstan’s officials, federal officials and FISU delegates as well.

Among the guests there were First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation – Chairman of the Kazan 2013 Organizing Committee Igor Shuvalov, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, Prime Minister of Tatarstan Ildar Khalikov, FISU CTI Chair – FISU Executive Committee member Stavros Duvis, ROSATOM Director General Sergey Kirienko, Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin, President of the Russian Student Sports Union Oleg Matytsin and other officials.

In his welcome speech Igor Shuvalov greeted the audience and noted that the inauguration of the Volleyball Centre was a gift not only to Kazan but to all Russia as well. «We gathered here to celebrate the start-up of another Universiade venue. I congratulate you on this wonderful holiday. Most of the venues are already built. We have two and a half years ahead of us. We’ll have to mobilize ourselves so that we could prepare and deliver the Universiade like no one else before us», the Kazan 2013 Organizing Committee Chairman said.

For his part, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov thanked the presidential administration of the Russian Federation in the person of the Igor Shuvalov for the support rendered in preparation of the World University Summer Games of 2013. «Next year we’ll finish the construction of the last venues. We’ll have only one stadium left to build», he stated.

FISU representative Stavros Duvis delivered a speech as well and said that he was glad to be present at the inauguration ceremony of the 25th venue of the 2013 World University Summer Games. «I was impressed by the new sports venues but I was even more impressed by the people who organize the Summer Universiade in Russia. Kazan is to stage an unforgettable Games», he summarized.

Within the inauguration program the newly constructed venue held its first volleyball matches. The Kazan Volleyball League events took place in the small hall of the sports centre. There were two matches held in the new sports venue: Dynamo-1 vs. Dynamo (School of Olympic reserve) and Zenit (Kazan’s School of Olympic Reserve) vs. Dynamo (Naberezhnye Chelny).

(Source: Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Committee)

Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov with 1st Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation – Chairman of the Kazan 2013 Organizing Committee Igor Shuvalov