First Games of the CIS countries to be held in Kazan with spectators and without vaccination passports
Russia: Sports Power forum will be registered forever in Kazan
The beginning of September for Tatarstan will be held under the sign of sports. Kazan hosts two major events at once: Russia: Sports Power forum is held from September 8 to 10, and from September 4 to 11 — the competitions of the First Games of the CIS countries are held in the arenas of the capital of Tatarstan.
“Russia: Sports Power is the flagship sports forum. Eleven years ago, we started it here, in Tatarstan, in 2009, this idea appeared. It became migrating, and for many years in a row it has been changing the host cities. It has been decided to return it to Kazan. Due to the pandemic, we postponed this forum, it was supposed to be held last year, it was postponed to the current year, from September 8 to 10. We expect a large number of guests, not only local ones," said Minister of Sports of Tatarstan Vladimir Leonov.
The main venue of the forum will be the Kazan Expo Exhibition Centre. Both regions of Russia, as well as sports clubs, projects and federations of various sports present themselves at modern exhibition stands.
The minister emphasises that the organisers tried to make the forum interesting not only for official delegations, but also for residents and guests of the city: “Everyone will have the opportunity to visit the sports park, on the territory of which interactive platforms will be opened. The GTO stand will also be presented. This year, this movement marks its 90th anniversary. The stand will be equipped with a screen and a stage where the presentation of the GTO complex insignia and the signing of agreements with partners and licensees of the complex will take place. Everyone will have the opportunity to try their hand at meeting the GTO standards, visit interactive simulators, sports equipment.”
Mini-football, 3-on-3 basketball, volleyball, swimming tournaments will be held at the sports facilities of Kazan, as well as a morning race along the embankment of the Kazanka River will be organised for everyone. We assume that about three thousand official delegates from all regions of our country will take part in the forum.
The extensive experience of Kazan in holding major sports competitions and international events, according to Vladimir Leonov, is the basis for the Russia: Sports Power forum to be registered in Kazan forever:
“We have an idea that the forum should not be migrating, that this site should be reserved. Like the economic forum in St. Petersburg, the sports forum should be held in Kazan. But this is still a discussion. We want this platform to be in demand, not only spectacular, but also effective.”
Ticket sales for the CIS Games start on August 12
The Games of the CIS countries will be held for the first time in history. The coronavirus pandemic also greatly affected the organisation, the event was postponed several times. However, the minister of sports of Tatarstan confirmed that the current dates from September 4 to September 11 have already been finally approved:
“The only question was whether athletes from the CIS countries would have the opportunity to come to us. A month ago, a large meeting was held at the level of the ministry of sports of Russia, today we can state that the Games will definitely take place. The date of the event is from 4 to 11 September. Ten countries, including Russia, have confirmed their participation. The competitions are held in 16 sports. It is planned that about 1,500 athletes will take part. Due to that the Olympics has recently been held, we have introduced a limit to 23 years, that is, juniors will come to us. The teams will consist of about 600 officials. More than 1000 volunteers will work at events, about 500 judges, about 130 media representatives. One hundred and eighty-four sets of medals will be awarded. The competitions will be held at 11 sports facilities in Kazan. The facilities are ready for the competition. These are the Gymnastics Centre, Olymp indoor sports centre, the new centre Uram, Badminton Centre, Ak Bars Martial Arts Palace, Miras sports complex, Boxing and Table Tennis Centre, Tulpar sports complex, Bullet Shooting Complex, Bench Shooting Complex, the gym of the University of Sports and Tourism.”
Athletes from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will be accommodated in the Universiade Village. The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games are planned to be held there, on the Alley of Flags. A theatrical show will be held, which will reflect the traditions of the participating countries. By the results of the competition, the Firebird was chosen as the logo of the games among the population, and the Bars became the mascot.
It will be possible to watch the course of most of the competitions live — Leonov said that it is necessary to purchase a entire ticket for this. The start of ticket sales for the Games is from August 12, and the cost of a entire ticket is 300 rubles. One can use it to get to any of the objects where there are stands, except for Uram extreme park, where the entrance will be free. However, there are exceptions — due to the intersection of streams, competitions will be held without spectators in the Badminton Centre, Bench Shooting Complex, and Bullet Shooting Complex.
“Preliminarily, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the attendance of facilities will be limited to 50% of the maximum capacity of the stands. A PCR test and a certificate of vaccination will not be required. However, it will be necessary to use masks," the minister noted.
But the participants of the competition and officials, according to him, will need either a certificate of vaccination, or a PCR test made no earlier than 72 hours before arrival.