High Officials involved in delivering Kazan Universiade awarded with National Awards

FISU delegates Saintrond & Matytsin with awarded Kazan SU officials 

KAZAN – On 28 January in the Kazan City Hall, the Russian Federation National Awards and state awards of the Republic of Tatarstan were presented to high officials involved in the preparation and staging of the 27th Summer Universiade. Those who contributed significantly to making this multi-sport event happen received their well-deserved awards from Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Volga Federal District, Mikhail Babich, and President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov.

“On behalf of the President of the Russian Federation, today we are presenting awards to those who made most significant contributions to the Universiade”,  Mikhail Babich said. “The Games were the most high-profile international sporting and political event in the past year. A huge contribution to this great cause was made by all residents of Tatarstan, leaders of the republic, ministries, departments, organisations who from the very moment when the idea was born under the leadership of Tatarstan’s first President Mintimer Shaimiev and until its final implementation under the leadership of the current head of the republic, Rustam Minnikhanov, were mobilised, organised and driven by this idea – the idea of hosting a successful Summer Universiade.”

Babich awards Burganov

By the Executive Order of the President of the Russian Federation, Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin was presented with the Order for Merit to the Fatherland, IV degree. The mayor expressed his gratitude to President of Russia Vladimir Putin for awarding him with such a high decoration: “More than five years of our life, of our work have gone like the wind. We experienced everything – even the bitterness of defeat, when, on behalf of our first President Mintimer Shaimiev and together with our current President, the then Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov, we were struggling for the bid in Turin. But it did not discourage us, we managed to continue and we won. Preparation for the Kazan Universiade is a story in its own right. I want to share this award with you, my dear colleagues. We will always be a big friendly team, a family, headed by our President Rustam Nurgalievich Minnikhanov.”

Thanks to the 27th Summer Universiade, Kazan now owns an excellent infrastructure, venues that will contribute to the republic’s sustainable development for years to come.

The Orders of Honour were awarded to Prime Minister of Tatarstan Ildar Khalikov and Minister of Youth, Sports and Tourism Rafis Burganov.

The Order for Merit to the Fatherland, II degree was bestowed on the former Director General of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate, Vladimir Leonov, who now heads Rubin FC. “I would like to extend my sincerest thanks and appreciation for all these seven happy years I have worked with you, for the Universiade, for an opportunity to show my worth, and as the former head of the Directorate I want to say a huge thank you to my big team and to express my personal gratitude to Rustam Nurgalievich Minnikhanov, Ilsur Raisovich Metshin, Ildar Shafkatovich Khalikov, for the support you have always given, for this journey we have travelled together,” he said.

The same award was given to Chief of Staff of the Kazan Executive Committee, Igor Sivov, who had previously held the post of Deputy Director General of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate.

Babich awards Leonov

Diplomas of the President of the Russian Federation were also awarded at the ceremony. Those decorated with the Diploma included First Deputy Director General of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate, Azat Kadyrov, and his deputies, Farid Abdulganiev and Azat Galiakhmetov.

The Merited Lawyer of the Republic of Tatarstan title was presented to Head of the Legal Department, Legal Director at the Universiade Directorate Zhanna Ushakova; the Merited Doctor of the Republic of Tatarstan title was handed to acting chief physician of the Republican Clinical Hospital for Infectious Diseases named after Professor A.F. Agafonov, Marat Gataullin; the Merited Worker of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan title was given to Director of Cultural and Social Programmes of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate, Arkady Karbaev.

The second half of the ceremony featured the presentation of state awards of the Republic of Tatarstan.

“It was a federal-wide project and we were one team in this big machine. I am aware of that. Everything we have done, we have done for our city, for our people and for promoting Tatarstan. Each of us has made a contribution,” said Rustam Minnikhanov during his speech.

Babich awards Kadyrov

“The Kazan Universiade set a high standard, both in terms of event management and sports achievements”, Mikhail Babich said in an interview with reporters after the ceremony. “The important thing is that most of the work was carried out by ministries and departments. The federal сentre fulfilled all its obligations related both to the financing and support of this work but the entire Universiade organising staff was mobilised here under the leadership of President Rustam Minnikhanov, and most technologies, most approaches undertaken by engineers, are now put to use in the build-up to the Sochi Olympics.” 

The credit for making the 27th Summer Universiade a huge success also belongs to volunteers. It’s them who created an atmosphere of hospitality in the city.

“We have very solid hospitality resources for receiving guests. I’m not even talking about the infrastructure. Everything we have done, we have done for the people. Firstly, for the people of Kazan, and secondly, to show the potential and power of our country. We did it”, said Rustam Minnikhanov to reporters. “The Universiade is a huge experience. The preparation for it has changed us. Many thanks to the leadership of FISU. We can meet any challenge now; together we passed this test, transferred our experience to the organisers of the Krasnoyarsk Universiade and will help them to complete tasks set by Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

(Source: Kazan OC – Photo courtesy: president.tatar.ru)