Universiade Flame crosses Equator

Tall Ship Sedov, a fantastic vessel

KAZAN – The container with the 2013 Summer Universiade Flame inside has crossed the equator in the Atlantic Ocean aboard the ship Sedov which on July 15th departed from the French port of Brest on its year-long worldwide voyage.

Exhibitions are set up aboard the bark Sedov at ports of call to tell people from different continents about the mega sporting event due to be held in Kazan, the sports capital of Russia, in July 2013.

The 2013 Summer Universiade Torch Relay will be a record-setting event in the history of international university sports. It kicked off on July 12th in Paris-Sorbonne University, France. There is a good reason why this university was chosen as the site to kindle the Universiade Flame. It’s there that the first ‘World Student Games’ were held in 1923. On July 15th, the Torch started a round the world trip on board the four-mast bark Sedov. The Universiade Flame Relay will cover 45,000 nautical miles and repeat the route of greatest sailors of all times.

Within 365 days 2,013 Torchbearers will carry the Flame through 54 cities of the world, visit 50 university centres and cover over 150,000 kilometres. The Torch-related events will bring the magic of Kazan 2013 to over 1.5 million students all over the world.

The Universiade Torch is a symbol of unity, friendship and peace among international students. The Torch’s design deserves a special mention; it represents a stylised tulip which contains the Latin letter ‘U’, a mandatory element to brand any sporting event held under the auspices of FISU. The basis of the torch design is the so-called floral style which is an essential part of the modern Tatar ornament.

Upon its arrival in the most eastern city of Russia, Vladivostok, the Universiade Torch Relay will be warmly greeted at the 2012 APEC Summit. The Flame will also be a long-awaited guest at the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival (Sydney, Australia), an annual marathon and a legacy of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. On its journey around the world the Torch will be carried along Marina Bay Street Circuit during the 2012 Formula 1 Singel Singapore Grand Prix in Singapore and will be introduced to participants of the Russia-Singapore Business Forum.

The hottest continent, Africa, will extend an even hotter welcome to the Universiade Torch Relay in the sands of the Sahara Desert where the final leg of the FIM Cross Country Rally World Championship – Pharaohs Rally – will be held. Best race cars will take the Flame across the scorching sand dunes. On November 17th the Universiade Torch Relay will reach the United States and Kazan 2013 Flame presentation will take place in San Francisco as part of International Students’ Solidarity Day festivities.

(Source: Kazan 2013 Media Dept.)