Hundreds of athletes from various Russian regions competed during the First All-Russian Urban Games that had been held at the Uram Extreme Park for two days. The participants of the big extreme sports festival shared their impressions of the Games.
Artem, basketball (3×3): “The Games were organized at the highest level. There were awesome gifts, awesome DJs, awesome hosts. The Uram Park is the best park I have ever seen. It has new equipment, LEDs, new hoops. Everything is awesome.”
Nikita FlyMen, BMX freestyle: “The Uram Park is great. It is very comfortable; this facility can host world-class competitions. It is the largest and the coolest park in Europe. We should continue hosting these Games in the future. They are great. We need to have more events that feature all kinds of extreme sports. Here, I met friends from different cities, and it’s amazing.”
Daria, BMX freestyle: “The park is really good. Here, athletes can develop and grow. This is the place where lots of champions will be discovered.”
Myra, basketball (3×3): “I liked the Games’ organization very much. The weather could have been better, but the organizers provided us with hot tea and heated recreational spaces. The park is good. There’s nothing like it in St. Petersburg. It is awesome that facilities like these are built and competitions are held. Such games are necessary. They promote sports, and these competitions have a global reach.”
Anton, football freestyle: “Wonderful skill areas, I like the entire venue. The event was exellent, the park is cool. Uram was one of the reasons for me to visit Kazan. I wish we had something like this in Tyumen.”
Dmitry, skateboarding: “A very difficult competition. I trained non-stop for a week, my muscles are sore, but in the end, everyone did their best. Everything is great in Kazan, top-notch. A couple of European elements were installed at the skill area that have not been there before. Such games promote the development of extreme sports in Russia. It is a step forward for our country.”
Raisa, cheer sport: “These Games are the bomb, I liked everything very much. The organization was top-level, one could ask for help with any issues at any time. Such festivals bring people going in for sports together. Here, they exchange experiences, emotions and energy.”
Elena, BMX freestyle: “Uram is one of the best parks. It tops everything I have ever seen. The event was great, there were lots of young people going in for active sports. It’s great to have events like this, where young people can show what they can do. What I love about this park is that it was clearly built by people who knew a thing or two about extreme sports. They approached the construction with all their talent and knowledge. Everything about this park is perfect. Such competitions should be held in future. They attract not only athletes, but also tourists. I know that many boys and girls from different cities came to Kazan for the Urban Games.”
Artur Kutuev, leader of teqball development in Russia: “I have the most positive impressions of the Games. I’m surprised that the Games venue so easily accommodates team and individual events. Even in Moscow and Saint Petersburg I haven’t seen venues like in Kazan. I’ve talked to leaders of Tatarstan’s Ministry of Sport and they confirmed that it’s a unique project and the venue is first of a kind. Kazan showed itself in the best possible way. It gives a boost to other cities to try to do something just as well or better.
I hope that it won’t be the last event of this kind and next year teqball will have a more extensive programme at the Games. I hope that the Urban Games will become a starting point for us to host teqball tournaments on a regular basis. We will help with the delivery of competitions. I hope that there will be a progress in the future.
We equipped official FIFA fan zones with teqboards and saw a gleam of interest in the eyes of people from different parts of the world. Teqball is a sport that pushes boundaries that’s why it becomes so popular among younger generation and keeps rapidly developing.
Kazan has joined the tightly-knit family of teqball cities, among which are Saint Petersburg, Sakhalin, Irkutsk, Yekaterinburg and Krasnodar. We hope that we will be hosting teqball tournaments in these cities and Kazan will be a winner, just like in other sports. Teqball Russia, of course, will help with the organization of events.”
Press Office of Directorate for Sports and Social Projects