2013 SU Update: FISU Flag presented to Federal University Student-Athletes

KAZAN – The flag of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) was presented on November 16th, during the solemn opening ceremony of the 1st Federal University Sports Festival.

The 1st Federal University Sports Festival, organized by Kazan Federal University (KFU) with the support of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate, gathered in Kazan nearly 350 student-athletes from the Baltic, Far Eastern, North-Eastern, Northern (Arctic), Siberian, Ural, Southern and Kazan (Volga Region) Federal Universities. Most competitors are potential candidates forRussia’s national team which will be defending the home country’s honor at the Summer Universiade inKazan. That’s why there is a good reason why the opening ceremony of the University Sports Festival, as well as most sporting events, are taking place at venues constructed specially for the 2013 Games.

The opening ceremony featured a solemn competitors’ parade that saw the participation of Rafis Burganov, Minister of Youth, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Tatarstan; Ilshat Gafurov, Rector of Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University and Chairman of the Rector Council of the Republic of Tatarstan; Alexander Parshikov, Director of the Department of Sports Upbringing System Development of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia. Each of them wished young competitors brilliant victories and health that will allow them to reach further success in sports.

TheFISUFlag’s presentation became one of the highlights of the ceremony. As Gaudeamus Igitur, the student anthem, was played, Olesya Nikolaeva, a student of theInstituteofPhysical Cultureand Restorative Medicine of Kazan Federal University and a member ofRussia’s national volleyball team, carried the FISU Flag in the stadium. The FISU flag was transferred to Kazan on August 23rd during the 26th World University Summer Games in Shenzhen. After that, the major symbol of international university sports has travelled through 16 Russian cities, where theFISUFlag Relay running under the motto ‘Universiade in Your City!’ has been held.

The ceremony was brightened up by Tatar folk dance performances delivered by KFU student dance groups. At the end of the ceremony all competitors were offered to sample chak-chak, a traditional Tatar pastry.

Let us remind you that the 1st Federal University Sports Festival’s program includes events in six sports, such as track and field athletics, table tennis, arm wrestling, swimming, combined relay and a women’s volleyball tournament. Individual and team events will run in the UNICS Culture and Sports Complex, indoor football and track and field training ground of the Central Stadium, Orgsintez Swimming Pool, Bustan and Moscow Sports Complexes according to the rules approved by Russian sports federations.

(Source: Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate)