Vladimir Putin: "The final leap in preparation for the Universiade remains to be...

(KZN.RU, March 19) Preparations for the World Summer Universiade in Kazan are proceeding on schedule and at a high level. This was stated by President of Russia Vladimir Putin at today's meeting of the Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sport, held in Kazan. The meeting was attended by President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, heads of federal ministries and agencies and sports federations. The meeting was held in the new building of the International Student Information Center.

In the words of the head of state, the construction of the Universiade venues in Kazan will create a cluster of educational and sports facilities, where national and international competitions will be held on a regular basis and new generations of domestic athletes will be nurtured.

"The Universiade is a festive occasion for the entire country. It's important to ensure that as many students and regions representatives as possible will come to see the competitions and root for our team.  I call upon those responsible to give utmost attention to this question and resolve all organizational problems," said Vladimir Putin.

"World Universiades are no less important than the Olympic Games and world championships. These are the top student sports meets of our planet. Therefore, hosting such an event is a great honor for any country. This is not only a recognition of a county's credibility in the international community. Most importantly, such events have positive long-term socioeconomic effects setting new standards of living, promoting physical culture and sports, giving impetus to all-round development of the regions involved and increasing their overall attractiveness for life and work. This rich material and intangible heritage will remain with us for years to come, and countries compete for the right to host Universiades and, if successful, proclaim the Games as their national projects," Mr. Putin emphasized.

Summing up the meeting, Mr. Putin said that in general preparations for the Games are on schedule and of high quality. "You have to make the final leap – to complete what is not yet completed, to beautify the grounds and to finish everything related to the infrastructure,” said the President of Russia.  “And, of course, we all expect our athletes to post good results.”