I. Metshin: "Our task is to bring to ski and put on skates those who “votes” for the laying on a sofa"

"Nothing unites like joint sport trainings, that is why residents should come out to the winter activities with the whole family - said I. Metshin. - Now more and more Kazan residents chose a healthy lifestyle. Our task is to bring to ski and put on skates those who still continue to "vote" for the laying on a sofa”. As the head of the city noted, all the necessary facilities are present for the inhabitants of the capital of Tatarstan - stadiums, indoor ice rinks and ski centers with rental equipment will be traditionally organized in the city. So, 18 rinks with rental of more than 5,000 pairs of skates, including 2 stadiums with artificial ice - "Rocket" and "Labor Reserves", 9 indoor ice arenas and outdoor rinks will work in the city. The third year in a row a skating rink with a total area of over 2 hectares will be organized in the territory of "Kazan Arena". Like last year, lighted ski runs will work in Kazan in Gorky Park, in the forest at st. Brothers Kasimovs, Birchwood in Nagorny settlement, as well as in residential areas in Chebaksa and Yudino. In addition, work of 80 plastic boxes of hockey is planned, where Kazan boys will have training sessions. It is also planned to organize work of 8 ski bases and 3 departmental rental stations with a total of 1735 pairs of skis.

In total, according to Acting Chairman of the Committee of Physical Culture and Sports of the Executive Committee of Kazan Ramil Khafizov, 5 million 400 thousand rubles are allocated this year from the municipal budget for the development of winter sports. These funds were used for the maintenance of ski trails, rental points and updating of inventory. It has a special meaning for residents of Kazan - according to statistics, the popularity of winter sports among citizens is increasing every year.

"We are working together with the Federation of winter sports, they contribute significantly to the development of infrastructure - says R.Hafizov. - The results are clear - all rentals, stadiums and ice rinks are always in great demand in Kazan".
The younger generation makes a great contribution to the development of winter sports - this year more than 800 children among pupils of sport schools of Kazan took part in the competitions and championships of the Republic of Tatarstan, more than 500 children - in Russian championships. "Today the national team of Tatarstan in winter sports includes 120 athletes from Kazan sport schools and four athletes from Kazan are included in the national team of Russia", - reported R.Hafizov.

Another reason to skate or ski is participation in amateur and professional competitions. This year in Kazan mass sports events will be organized traditionally, including the "Golden Puck", "Ski Track of Russia", "Ice of our hope," ski marathons. As practice shows, these events are very popular among city residents. For example, last year it was attended by over 31 thousand people. This year, according to forecasts, the number of participants will be more than 35 thousand people.

Kazan Mayor instructed his deputies to keep the state of sports facilities under control and work to attract citizens to an active lifestyle. "In winter we are waiting for a full program - from amateur competition, in which everyone can participate, to the world championships. For our part we have to monitor how our rinks are maintained, how the preparations for the winter season is going on a daily basis - said the Mayor. - Hockey boxes, ski slopes - we need to put in order all of it. We must create all conditions for our children to lead a healthy lifestyle".