Roustam Minnikhanov: “We are proud of our volunteers”

The volunteers from Tatarstan who took part in the recent Universiade in Belgrade were today celebrated at the Kazan City Hall. Attendees at the Prime Minister of Tatarstan Roustam Minnikhanov’s meeting with the volunteers were the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin and Tatarstan Youth Affairs, Sports and Tourism Minister Marat Bariev.

On 24 June – 15 July 2009, the World Summer Universiade was held in Belgrade. About 10 thousand volunteers were involved in the event, 900 of them foreign. The Tatarstan delegation included 150 volunteers, the delegation was one of the largest at the games. The project was participated by students from 20 Tatarstan higher educational establishments and young specialists aged 18-28, including 108 girls and 42 young men.

‘We are proud of you!” Roustam Minnikhanov told the volunteers. “I would like to thank the higher educational establishments’s heads, as you are their “fruit”. We were happy when our delegation of volunteers received the highest award.”

The prime minister went on to thank the volunteers for the work they had done in Belgrade. According to him, the obtained experience will be transferred to other students. ‘Thank you very much! Wish you success in your studies!” said the head of government.

The mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin said the Universiade was not a competition between the sportsmen but between the organisers as well. The Tatarstan volunteers showed themselves very well at the Universiade. “Thank you, you are the best!” said Ilsur Metshin.

The best volunteers were given memorial certificates from the government of Tatarstan and Mayor’s Office of Kazan.

The volunteers from Tatarstan worked at the Universiade in Belgrade in 13 departments: accommodation (reception desks in Universiade residential facilities), attache (tending to the teams from Russia, Iran, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Ireland and Kazakhstan), sports venues (work at various competition venues), international relations (interpretation, participation in FISU conferences), protocol (accompanying VIP guests) and others.

Besides, the volunteers worked at the exhibition of Kazan at the Universiade village and assisted in the work of the Russia-Tatar House. The volunteers’s workday was between 4 and 8 hours depending on the department.