Dmitry Chernyshenko, the chief executive and President of Sochi 2014, has signed a working agreement with Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of Tatarstan, the Republic of which Kazan is the capital.  

Under the terms of the agreement, the top-level staging of the Universiade of 2013 and the Olympic Winter Games of 2014, as well as physical culture and sports development and promotion in Russia, are the main priorities of the partnership.

Sochi is set to benefit from the experience of working in partnership with Tatarstan across 15 key areas, including sports, major sports event planning and management methodologies, intellectual property protection, sustainable development and technology.

More than 10,000 athletes from 170 countries are due to compete in the World University Games, which are scheduled to take place between July 6 and 17 in 2013. 

The agreement also hopes to extend joint work for the development of the volunteer movement, the Games and the World Student Games legacy management, as well as the organisation of events for promoting the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Movement, the Universiade and student sports.


"The agreement between the Republic of Tatarstan and the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee is a significant step forward in the development of sports in Russia," said Minnikhanov.

"We have both made good progress individually but it is now time for our efforts to be united.

"I am confident that this agreement will help the promotion not only of the Universiade in Kazan and the Olympic Games in Sochi, but also sports in general, culture and a healthy lifestyle in Russia."

It is hoped that the agreement will help lead to the most efficient use of the Universiade and the Olympiad workforce, reducing costs and improving the quality of hosting future large-scale events, even being extended to things like the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which Russia is hosting.  

"The World Student Games in Kazan and the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi are the first in a whole range of major and significant sport events that Russia is undertaking in the next ten years," said Chernyshenko.

"Thanks to our close involvement with the Republic of Tatarstan, we are on track to produce a unique and innovative package of practical solutions and methodologies for organisers of major sport events in future.

"This method of delivering major sporting events applies both at a national level, such as the organisation of the Formula One race in Sochi or the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and abroad."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
May 2011: Dates set for 2013 World University Games in Kazan