Singer Nyusha and hockey player Alexei Morozov became ambassadors of the FIFA World Cup 2018

(KZN.RU, November 24, Mikhail Chentsov). New names of ambassadors of the World Cup Football FIFA-2018 were announced today in the capital of Tatarstan in Kazan. The ceremony was held at the conference hall of the stadium “Kazan Arena’. Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, presented certificates to the ambassadors of the upcoming tournament. Vladimir Leonov, the minister of Youth and Sport of the RT, also took part in the event.

“Football lesson” was held before the opening ceremony, at which the students of Kazan universities were told about the upcoming World Cup and the Confederations Cup, their symbolism, stadiums and other features of the sporting events. The lesson participants were the first to recognize the names of the new ambassadors of the World Cup Football FIFA-2018.

As I. Metshin noted, participation of famous personalities in the coverage and promotion of large-scale sporting events has become an integral part of these forums in Kazan. “I am very pleased that we continue the good traditions. And our volunteers and partners, prominent athletes and artists who embody Kazan, Tatarstan and Russia, is still with us as it was on the Universiade 2013 and the World Aquatics Championships 2015”, said the Mayor, representing the new ambassadors.

Nyusha, a singer, songwriter, composer, actress, ambassador of the XVI World Aquatics Championships 2015, and Alexei Morozov, the former captain of the Kazan “Ak Bars”, the ambassador of the XXVII World Summer Universiade 2013 in Kazan, became the new ambassadors.

They expressed their gratitude for the honor of representing the Tatarstan’s capital as the host city for the World Cup 2018 to viewers around the world. “It is very pleasing that I associate Kazan with the most important sporting events in my life”, Nyusha shared her impressions.

Alexei Morozov noted that for him, as for Nyusha, it is not the first time of acting as an ambassador of a major international sporting event. “I was an ambassador at the Universiade in Kazan, so I have no doubt that the Confederations Cup and the World Cup will be held in this city at the highest organizational level”, said the former captain of the “Ak Bars”.

Previously, players of the Kazan “Rubin” Sergei Ryzhikov and Elmir Nabiullin, Irek Zinnurov, the Russian water polo player, Master of Sports of Russia, and silver medalist in Sydney, Elmira Kalimullina, an Honored Artist of the RT, finalist of the project “The Voice”, and Ekaterina Skulkina, a member of the female comic show “Comedy Woman”, the captain of the KVN team “4 Tartars”, received the status of ambassadors.

“We are on the eve of the big event, it is very important for our city, the republic, our country. I cannot call the draw of the  Confederations Cup the test events, we are waiting for the best of the best and will do everything to make this unforgettable event another golden page in the life of our city”, said Ilsur Metshin. “We have done a great, hard work, led by Rustam Minnikhanov, our President, and the federal authorities. It's like a symphony orchestra, where each instrument plays an important role. And I am very pleased that, along with Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sochi, we will take the Confederations Cup first and then the World Cup. I want to say to all: welcome to Kazan and Russia”.