KAZAN, July 6 (R-Sport) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday declared open the 2013 World University Games, or Universiade.
The games officially began on Saturday night in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Volga Republic of Tatarstan, with an extravagant opening ceremony intended to capture Russia’s ethnic diversity and set the stage for the Sochi Winter Olympics next year.
The Universiade Flame was lit at the Kazan Arena stadium at approximately 1:50 Moscow time on Sunday (21:50 Saturday GMT). The official opening ceremony ended several minutes later.
After warnings that the ceremony would not be ready in time, general producer Igor Krutoy and director Alexey Sechenov pulled off a tightly choreographed show inside the Kazan Arena, replete with esoteric dancing performed mainly by children, cyclists suspended dozens of feet above the ground, and a large dose of local Tatar culture.
Putin earlier in the day noted that the preparations for the Universaide had given a boost to the development of Kazan itself. Russia has spent $4.5 billion on the event, the second largest price tag in the tournament’s history.
With a large Muslim population, Kazan – Russia’s eighth largest – is located on the banks of the Volga River some 720 kilometers (447 miles) from Moscow.
Russian Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukov said Saturday that the Universiade is a “prototype” for next February’s Sochi Olympics. Russia is expected to spend about $51 billion on preparations for the Sochi Olympics, making it the most expensive Games of all time.
Saturday’s ceremony began with a parade of children and teenagers costumed in the multicolored dress of some of Russia’s many different ethnic groups. After that a full-piece orchestra accompanied an impassioned rendition of the Russian national anthem and Putin made a brief cameo, waving from the VIP suite before disappearing from view.
More than 10,000 athletes from 166 countries spilled onto an oval walkway encircling the stage as spectators waved plastic torches and, during an aria early in the show, flashed red bulbs in unison, casting a dramatic glow over the packed 45,000-seat stadium.
The Universiade runs July 6-17.
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