Kazan 2013 SU: Gymnastics Centre officially inaugurated with Test Event

Rhythmic Gymnastics test event

KAZAN – The Gymnastics Centre, another sports venue planned for the 27th Summer Universiade, was inaugurated on 14 November on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of two Kazan 2013 test events – Rhythmic Gymnastics Russian Cup and Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Group Championship – which were held in the competition venue.

The opening ceremony was attended by Irina Viner-Usmanova, the President of the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation and head coach of the Russian national rhythmic gymnastics team, Evgeniya Kanaeva, a Beijing and London Olympic Champion, and a Belgrade and Shenzhen Universiade Champion, Daria Dmitrieva, a silver medallist at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Tatyana Gorbunova, a Beijing 2008 Olympic champion, as well as the Olympic rhythmic gymnastics group champions, Anastasia Bliznyuk, Ksenia Dudkina, Uliana Donskova, Alina Makarenko, Anastasia Nazarenko and Karolina Sevastynova. 

During the press conference dedicated to the opening ceremony of the rhythmic gymnastics competitions, Rafis Burganov, Tatarstan’s Minister of Youth Affairs, Sports and Tourism, expressed his happiness at being part of such a sports extravaganza. “We are extremely happy that we succeeded in uniting these two high-profile events – the Championship and the Cup – and celebrate them on the inauguration day of the Gymnastics Centre.” He also mentioned that the championship serves as a ground to test many novelties that will be introduced during the 2013 Summer Universiade, including a ticket-checking system. Later the Minister nominated Evegeniya Kanaeva and Tatyana Gorbunova as Kazan 2013 Ambassadors. According to the gymnasts, being a Kazan 2013 Ambassador is a very honourable and responsible mission for them. “Our task is to tell all children how cool it is to play sports, how beneficial they are to them,” Tatyana Gorbunova said. 

Tatyana Gorbunova & Evegeniya Kanaeva appointed as Kazan Ambassadors

The solemn opening ceremony also saw the attendance of Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Natalya Kuzmina, the Rhythmic Gymnastics TC President for the next Olympic cycle, Gulnara Sergeeva, the President of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation of the Republic of Tatarstan and Director General of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate. 

“Today is a special day in the history of both the capital of our republic and Russian sports; today we inaugurate this magnificent centre and declare open the first rhythmic gymnastics competitions that are taking place here,” said Tatar President Rustam Minnikhanov at the opening ceremony. He expressed his gratitude to Irina Viner-Usmanova for staging such competitions in the host city of the upcoming Summer Universiade. During the opening ceremony a symbolic key was handed over by the venue’s constructors  –  Azat Khuzin, the Director General of OOO Tekhstroy – to Liliya Shafeeva, the Vice-President of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation of the Republic of Tatarstan. 

Irina Viner-Usmanova also took the floor to congratulate all those present on such a memorable event and thanked for the support given to the Russian national team at the London Olympics: “There were many Russian flags waved from spectator stands and it seemed that we were competing on home soil.”

The champions fully agreed with her; all of them thanked their coaches, doctors, psychologists and, of course, spectators for contributing to their victories and wished good luck to all participants. Evgenia Kanaeva, the two-time Olympic champion and nine-time Summer Universiade medal winner, also added that the 2011 Shenzhen Summer Universiade was clearly not inferior to the Olympic Games. “They had already hosted the Beijing Olympics by that time and their event management experience was impressive. I’m confident that the Universiade in Kazan will be successful as well because people here are very sincere, kind-hearted and hospitable,” Evgeniya said. 

As we earlier reported, athletes from 30 regions of Russia, including the rhythmic gymnastics team of Tatarstan, compete at the Rhythmic Gymnastics Russian Cup and Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Group Championship. 

(Source: Kazan 2013 Media Dept.)