The opening ceremony of the First All-Russian Urban Games was held today in the Kazan Uram Extreme Park, Kazan.
The ceremony was attended by Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation, Oleg Matytsin, Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Aleksey Pesoshin, Acting Minister of Sport of the Republic of Tatarstan, Vladimir Leonov, and Acting Minister of Youth Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan, Damir Fattakhov.
Oleg Matytsin addressed Games participants with a welcome speech, in which he thanked athletes, organizers and spectators for their interest in the competition.
“Great weather, wonderful city. I am grateful to the whole republic, and to its President, Rustam Minnikhanov, for the festival that we have organized together. We are glad that all the heads of federations whose sports are represented in the Games programme in Kazan are present here. It serves as a proof that we are a big friendly family that is ready for new discoveries and projects, one of which is the first All-Russian Urban Games. It proves the fact that we need to listen to what young people want to say, and to be open to the initiatives that come from you. I am grateful to the regions that are represented here. I am glad that new extreme sports are developing in all cities of our great country. I wish you luck in your efforts to make the project a success. I wish other Russian cities follow the Kazan Uram park’s example and give young people the opportunity to do what they find interesting and fulfil their potential. Alga, Kazan! Go Russia!” said Oleg Matytsin.
Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan, Aleksey Pesoshin, expressed confidence that the Urban Games will be fun-filled and exciting.
“Congratulations to participants, organizers and spectators on the opening of the Games. Despite a difficult year for the whole world, the first games will be delivered. Such challenging competitions are held for the first time in our country. The Games are both a sporting event and a festival for young people. The opening of such a venue as the Uram park in Kazan gave the opportunity to host such great Games. In a short period of time the construction team erected all the necessary infrastructure and the park became really popular among young people. It doesn’t matter how old you are; the main thing is always to be young in mind. I am grateful to the Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation for their trust, and I want to thank athletes who came to Kazan from all over the country. They are real professionals; we are in for exciting stunts, fair play and unforgettable moments. May the strongest win!” Pesoshin said.
The First All-Russian Urban Games will be held in Kazan on September 19-20. Up to 80 sets of medals will be contested. The competitions will be held in the new Uram Extreme Park and will bring together about 800 participants.
Competitions will be held in such sports as basketball, cycling (BMX freestyle park), roller sport, skateboarding, dance sport (break dance), football freestyle, cheerleading. The Games programme also includes demonstration sports: rope skipping, parkour and teqball.
Athletes came to Kazan from Vladivostok, Kaliningrad, Khabarovsk, Smolensk, the Leningrad Oblast, Perm, Volgograd, Cheboksary, Yekaterinburg, Voronezh, Izhevsk, Samara, Tyumen, Moscow, Saratov, Ulyanovsk, Ufa, and Sochi, as well as from several locations in Tatarstan (Almetyevsk, Zelenodolsk, Kazan), and from other cities.
Press Office of Directorate for Sports and Social Projects