CAPITAL OF UNIVERSITY SPORTS
Yekaterinburg, which celebrates its 300th anniversary this year, receives one gift after another this summer. But the main one outweighs the rest, including the sensational leadership of the Ural football in the national championship. One of the main industrial centers of our country, located on the banks of the Iset River, was chosen as the capital of the International University Sports Festival.
The scale of competition today is staggering. Representatives of 36 states from all over the world came to Yekaterinburg. Participants ages 17 to 25 will compete for prizes in 14 summer sports.
Photo courtesy of the MFUS Directorate
The competitors of the prize places await six beautiful stadiums, four of which were built specifically for this sports holiday. In total, 197 sets of medals will be played and about two and a half thousand volunteers are ready to provide assistance to the guests and participants of the festival.
The first outings, as always happens in the main international multi-sports forums, began even before the official opening. The ceremony itself was scheduled for the evening of August 20. She promised to be unusual at one time for several reasons. And the public got many surprises.
UNDER THE FLAGS OF THE UNIVERSITIES
The main one is the unusual format of the parade of participants, which began after a short musical theatrical performance. The teams, as in the Olympic Games, came out in alphabetical order of the participating countries, taking into account the language of the host country. But since the athletes at the festival do not officially represent the states, but their universities (about 280), they went on stage with the flags of their universities. National symbols were displayed on a huge monitor in front of the audience.
Photo courtesy of the MFUS Directorate
The most extensive, which is not surprising, was our delegation – it included about 1,200 athletes (out of 2,300 athletes), representing almost all regions of our country. And since the athletes from each university came out in separate groups, the audience greeted the Russian athletes for a long time and energetically.
SPIRIT OF YOUTH AND SPORTS
After the end of the parade, Igor Levitin, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, addressed the guests and participants. He read Vladimir Putin’s speech to contest participants and guests. The state flag was solemnly carried to the Expocentre stage and the national anthem of our country was performed. In addition, the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Oleg Matytsin addressed the audience with a welcoming speech. And the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko officially declared the International Festival of University Sports open.
Photo courtesy of the MFUS Directorate
As part of the entertainment program, the enchanting Kedri saber was presented to the spectators and athletes. More than 70 thousand people participated in his selection. According to the organizers, Kedri most fully corresponds to the spirit of the participants in the competition – the spirit of youth and sports. A colorful number performed by Kedri set the tone for the final part, the concert, of the ceremony, which will be remembered by those who visited for a long, long time.
Photo courtesy of the MFUS Directorate
The sports festival in Yekaterinburg will last until August 31. And there is no doubt that no one will leave this unique festival disappointed.
ALL MEDALS
sport class
Number of medal sets
Badminton
6
3×3 basketball
2
Boxing
25
Volleyball
2
Judo
sixteen
mini football
2
Table tennis
7
Swim
42
Dive
9
sambo
twenty-one
sports fight
thirty
Tennis
5
taekwondo
18
Gym
12
ALL PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES
Russia, Azerbaijan, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belarus, Brazil, Venezuela, Vietnam, Guatemala, Zimbabwe, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Cuba, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Serbia, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, South Ossetia
