2013 SU Update: Youth and Students Central Figures in 27th Summer Universiade

KAZAN – The Cultural Universiade is one of the key projects of the 27th World University Summer Games. The major task of the 2013 Summer Universiade is to develop the talented youth pool that will include gifted young people from Kazan, Tatarstan and Russia. This spring every student will have a chance to become part of the Kazan Universiade.

These were the main topics of discussion at the press conference that took place at the office of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate. The event saw attendance of Deputy Director General of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate Igor Sivov, Chief of Staff of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate and Advisor to the Director General Larisa Sulima, Chairman of the Children and Youth Committee of Kazan’s Executive Committee Linar Zakirov and Music Director of the State Symphony Orchestra of Tatarstan Alexander Sladkovsky.

While presenting key projects within the Cultural Universiade programme Igor Sivov revealed plans for 2011 and offered a detailed report of the UNI-reserve/UNI-elite projects that had kicked off in December 2010. These projects will enable to build a talented youth pool for events of the Cultural Universiade programme. The project is implemented through nominations established by the Kazan 2013 Directorate at various municipal, republican, all-Russian and even international talent shows: Galaxy-Yoldyzlyk, Spring Dripping, Spring Twists and Turns, Noon Recess, Student Spring. The UNI-reserve and UNI-elite nominees will be entitled to participate in the major project of the Cultural Universiade – FISU flag transfer.

Linar Zakirov presented joint projects launched by the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate and Children and Youth Committee. “Annually over 45,000 students become participants of the Student Spring Festival. This year on the threshold of the 2013 Summer Universiade we decided to complicate or facilitate the task for the entrants by adding new challenges. But it will do good to the Festival itself”, he said. This year the Student Spring Festival includes a cheerleading competition, student journalists contest, Faces of the Universiade contest and also contest for the best song about Kazan and Universiade.

Alexander Sladkovsky stated that involvement in the Universiade would give a huge rise to the development of both athletes and musicians. It’s a new experience that will be of use to everyone: musicians, Universiade organizers and even spectators. Thus, during the Closing Ceremony of the Rakhlin Seasons Musical Festival, April 11th, the video presentation about the 2013 Summer Universiade was demonstrated in the Big Concert Hall of Kazan to the accompaniment of Tatarstan’s State Symphony Orchestra.

Larisa Sulima drew media’s attention to the fact that this project enabled every student to become part of the World University Games, either as a volunteer or as a performer, organizer or spectator of the Universiade. “It’s really important that the 2013 Summer Universiade becomes a national idea. That’s the reason we pay such special attention to cooperation with our higher education institutions, specialized secondary education establishments and public associations. Youth and students are the central figures in the 2013 Summer Universiade”, the Advisor to the Director General said.

(Source: Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate)