Kazan 2013 Torch begins its Cruise around the World

The Universiade flame arrives aboard the Sedov

KAZAN/BREST – The Flame of the 27th Summer Universiade which was lit three days earlier in Paris started a round the world trip on board the four-mast bark Sedov on Sunday, July 15^th. The solemn ceremony took place in the thick of Day of Russia celebrations at the world-known Les Tonneres de Brest Festival which was held in Brest, France.

Before starting its journey around the world, the Flame was placed into a special container to ensure its safety throughout the entire year of travel. In a solemn atmosphere, the container with the Universiade Flame was handed to Alexander Ershov, Rector of Murmansk State Technical University, and Nikolay Zorchenko, captain of the bark Sedov. The latter passed the cherished container to Sedov’s four cadets or the Universiade Flame Keepers Artem Kozyr, Igor Emelyanov, Vladimir Zhukov and Danil Kolesnikov. Upon receiving the valuable cargo, the cadets took the Torch Flame Keepers’ oath: “We pledge to protect the Universiade Flame with honour and dignity!”

Nikolay Zorchenko, captain of the bark Sedov. with the four cadets or the Universiade Flame Keepers Artem Kozyr, Igor Emelyanov, Vladimir Zhukov and Danil Kolesnikov

Throughout the entire year, during the round the world trip, the newly appointed Keepers will bring the excitement of the Flame to people living in various countries and continents, spread the magic of the Kazan 2013 Summer Universiade and invite everybody to visit the sports capital of Russia next July. “The mission of the Universiade Flame Keepers is very honorary and demanding. We will be protecting the Flame on its journey around the globe and will try to surely come to Kazan for the Games,” admitted the cadets after the ceremony. Claude Louis-Gallien, President of FISU, will join the Universiade Torch Relay team aboard the Sedov and will visit three ports in the course of the Flame’s world voyage.

The bark Sedov is the world’s largest tall ship with a very interesting background. That’s the very reason why the Russian sail ship caught the most attention of the visitors at the Les Tonneres de Brest Festival; to get there ship enthusiasts had to stand in line for more than two hours.

The Torch Relay banner on the Sedov

Despite its almost century-long history (the bark was first floated out in 1921), Sedov’s 2012-2013 round the world voyage is the first one in its history. The course of the ship’s journey includes such large ports as Casablanca, Montevideo, Tahiti, Manila, Vladivostok, Nagasaki, Shanghai, Singapore, Port Louis, Cape Town, Dakar, Santa Cruz, Bremerhaven and Kiel. The latter is the port where the bark Sedov was constructed once and in 2013 the Universiade Flame will be taken from the tall ship and brought to shore for being transported to the host city of the future World University Summer Games.

Tall Ship Sedov, a fantastic vessel

There will be two parallel routes during the Universiade Torch Relay’s trip around the world. Placed in a special container, the so-called ‘spark’ of the Kazan 2013 Flame will travel on board the sail ship Sedov, while the mother Flame will start its relay as early as in September. The 2013 Universiade Torch Relay is expected to attend the 2012 APEC Summit in Vladivostok, Blackmores Running Festival in Sydney and Formula 1 Singel Grand Prix in Singapore. Later the Flame will head to Egypt and the United States of America. The Torch is to arrive in Moscow in December 2012, with the Russian phase of the Relay beginning in 2013. The Universiade Flame will be carried across 27 top university centres of Russia and will wrap up in the host city’s new football stadium where the Kazan 2013 Opening Ceremony will take place.

(Source: Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Committee)