2013 SU Update: Schoolchildren of Kazan participate in 2013 Relay

KAZAN – Each day, while answering trivia questions, performing sports activities and completing various fascinating quests, schoolchildren ofKazan are discovering more and more about the 27th Summer Universiade inKazan. An educational project initiated by the Children’s Creativity Centre of the Vakhitovsky District of Kazan and supported by the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate was symbolically named ’2013 Relay’.

In order to encourage youngest citizens of the 2013 Summer Universiade host city to strive for excellence in sports or volunteer activities, experts of the Children’s Creativity Centre of the Vakhitovsky District of Kazan elaborated a special educational programme based on trivia quizzes and sports activities.

The 2013 Relay project is open to elementary school students of grades 1-6. At various stages of the project boys and girls answer trivia questions about the Universiade and different sports, the mascot and host city of the future Games, and get awarded for their excellent knowledge with Universiade-logoed souvenirs. For example, one of the challenges of the 2013 Relay is to make a presentation of one of the 27 sports included in the Games programme after guessing them on images depicting Uni the snow leopard kitten doing a sport. Other challenges are to demonstrate their physical fitness:schoolchildren conduct morning exercise sessions for their classmates and take part in competitions that resemble sports of the Universiade programme. The winning team is the fastest one to pass all the stages of 2013 Relay without fail.

According to the organisers of 2013 Relay, teachers of the Children’s Creativity Centre of the Vakhitovsky District of Kazan, this project is aimed to not just make young citizens get acquainted with the forthcoming international event, but also to plant a seed of love for sports and for their homeland in their hearts. The organisers are confident that being in anticipation of the Games two years prior to their start, kids will become the most enthusiastic supporters at the Universiade itself, and after it ends they will get inspired to conquer sports podiums or at least to get enrolled in sports clubs, live a healthy life and join the ranks of the Kazan 2013 volunteers.

This principle was strongly supported by executives of the Universiade Directorate. Chief of Staff of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate Larisa Sulima mentioned:«On the threshold of the Universiade inKazaneverything has to be done to let citizens ofKazanto soak in the unique atmosphere of the Games, to urge them to get involved in staging the Universiade or to support Russian athletes. The 2013 Relay project is a continuation of a huge work launched by the Kazan 2013 Directorate in 2011:cooperation with higher education institutions and NG organisations, FISU Flag Relay and recruitment of a whole range of Russian regions in the preparation for the Games. The Universiade that we see as an important national and ideological goal must consolidate our society.»

It is expected that the 2013 Relay project will be growing both in terms of areas and entrants involved in it.

(Source: Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate)