KAZAN – Winners of the Faces of the Universiade All-Russian Contest Final were announced and awarded in the Kazan Tennis Academy on April 22. All these lucky boys and girls will serve as victory ceremony hosts and hostesses for the 27th Summer Universiade inKazan.
This year the contest brought together over 350 students that represent various cities and regions of Russia: Moscow, Yaroslavl, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Yoshkar-Ola, Orenburg, Saransk, Tyumen, Cheboksary, Nizhny Novgorod, Izhevsk, Ufa, St Petersburg, Perm, Penza and Republic of Tatarstan. All of them study in the universities that partnered with the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate.
Each contestant boasts numerous titles:from winning beauty pageants and achieving Candidate for Master of Sports rank to becoming top performers at multiple student talent shows. Now the majority of them can add another title to their collection – Face of the 2013 Summer Universiade. As part of the victory ceremony escort team, they will take part in presentations, test events and other official ceremonies held in the run up and during the 27th Summer Universiade inKazan, carry flags of national delegations and help to award medals to winners of the World University Summer Games.
The organisers of the contest made perfect judges for selecting the victory ceremony escort team:the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate is a group of experts experienced in training volunteers for the Games; Miss Tatarstan NGO is a team of professionals in the area of beauty and fashion; Tatarstan-Novy Vek (TNV) TV and Radio Company is an organisation that knows everything about carefully planned-out compositions and what makes people photogenic. For three days the competent panel has been evaluating the contestants’ qualities, such as good looks, intelligence, charm and wit.
«You are definitely lucky people. Today you represent the elite of the Russian student community, and in one year you will be shining in the limelight in front of the cameras and be part of the Universiade’s most dramatic events,» Vlaldimir Leonov, Director General of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate, said in his speech. His words were met with support from two Kazan 2013 Ambassadors – Andrey Demanov, a European weightlifting champion, and Elena Posevina, an Olympic rhythmic gymnastics champion.
151 contestants received certificates confirming their right to join the Kazan 2013 volunteer team and perform volunteer service at the 27th Summer Universiade. To prove they are worthy of their title, the finalists unleashed their talent at the gala concert. They acted out scenes from the bylinas (Russian heroic epics), held a traditional costume fashion show and demonstrated the whole beauty and diversity of Russian folk art.
The Faces of the Universiade Contest gives young hopefuls an opportunity to make a name for themselves on the international scene. The most graphic example, illustrating it, is Karina Ismagilova, a winner of the first edition of the contest and holder of the 2009 Miss Tatarstan title. As part of the victory ceremony escort team, she participated in the Shenzhen 2011 Summer Universiade and is one of the most active volunteers of Kazan 2013. Today she’s also a member of the judging panel at the Faces of the Universiade All-Russian Contest.
The organisers expect that the finalists and winners of the contest will start their training for the Games any time soon. Firstly, boys and girls need to learn to be capable of great endurance, as their volunteer role will require vigorous physical activity. However, their high motivation and eagerness to be part of such a high-profile sporting event gives confidence that they won’t lose face.
(Source: Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate)
Related News
FISU Member Associations visit Krasnoyarsk to check out Winter Universiade 2019 preparations
