Universiade Flame on its way to Russia after World Tour

The Universiade Flame

KAZAN – The 27th World University Summer Games get closer as the Universiade Flame arrives in Vladivostok on January 25th aboard the legendary four-mast bark Sedov. From here on the Russian stage of the Universiade Torch Relay begins.

Celebrations will kick off in the morning when the Flame placed in a special lantern will be delivered to the sports complex of the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) on Russkiy Island. Here the Universiade Torch lighting ceremony will take place. The event will see the participation of Igor Shuvalov, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation; Nikolay Nikiforov, Minister of Communication and Mass Media of the Russian Federation; Natalia Parshikova, State Secretary and Deputy Sports Minister of the Russian Federation; Rustam Minnikhanov, President of the Republic of Tatarstan; Vladimir Miklushevskiy, Governor of the Primorsky Territory. The ceremony will also be attended by 1st Vice-President of FISU Oleg Matytsin, Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin, Rector of the Far Eastern Federal University Sergey Ivanets and students of FEFU.

After that the Torch will begin its relay journey around the city. Over 50 Torchbearers – Kazan 2013 Ambassadors, athletes and volunteers of the Primorsky Territory – will walk with the Flame across the bridge that connects Russkiy Island with Vladivostok. Such well-known people as tennis player Dinara Safina, TV presenter and model Irina Shadrina, silver medallist at the London 2012 Olympic Games and Kazan 2013 Ambassador Kamilla Gafurzyanova will be among the first to carry the Universiade Flame. Vladimir Leonov, Director General of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate, will also contribute to the Relay, running a short distance before passing the Torch to the next Torchbearer.

Crossing the Equator

Together with viewers of Russia 24 TV Channel, participants of the Kazan-Vladivostok video conference will be able to follow the Torch, as it will make its way around the city. Students of Kazan, famous athletes and Kazan 2013 Ambassadors will come together at the construction site of the 45,000-seat football stadium to watch the live action from Vladivostok. 

Encountering some bad weather

At noon the lantern with the Universiade Flame will be solemnly put inside a special display case in the main building of the Far Eastern Federal University. The Flame welcoming events will kick off the Russian stage of the Universiade Torch Relay whose route will cover the entire country (30 cities) and end in Kazan on 6 July 2013, on the day of the Games Opening Ceremony. 

… and heavy seas

As we earlier reported, the 2013 Summer Universiade Torch Relay is the most ambitious project in the history of university sports. Firstly, it will last for a litle less than a year and, secondly, it started its journey in Paris-Sorbonne University, the place where the first ‘World Student Games’ were held in 1923. After being lit in Paris, the Universiade Flame was placed in a special lantern and embarked on its epic around the world cruise aboard the legendary bark Sedov. Under careful supervision of its Keepers, the Flame travelled across five continents, visited Casablanca, Montevideo, Tahiti and called at more than 20 ports. 

During the Russian stage, the Universiade Torch Relay will pass through 27 cities which is exactly the number of sports included in the Kazan Universiade programme. Three Russian cities were later added to the initial list after they proved their readiness to render the warmest welcome to the Relay participants and showed unwillingness to stay away from the first multi-sports event in the history of modern Russia.

Plenty of photos form the voyage of the Sedov can be seen at http://www.facebook.com/SEDOVNEWS.

(Source: Kazan 2013 Media Dept.)