Dmitry Medvedev: Universiade in Kazan is a big social event

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev held a bilateral meeting with Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev in the Kazan Kremlin on August 7.

Before the meeting, the head of state saw the presentation of the 2013 World Summer Universiade that is to take place in Kazan. Tatarstan Prime-minister Rustam Minnikhanov, State Council Chairman Farid Mukhametshin, Minister of youth, sport and tourism Marat Bariyev also attended the presentation conducted by Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin.

The head of the city told about sport sites that are now available in Kazan and meet the international requirements for carrying out the Universiade as well as about the sites that should be built for the World Students Games.

Ilsur Metshin said one of the main issues to be solved is the development of the transport infrastructure. The forthcoming reconstruction of the Kazan airport will allow to increase its capacity by a factor of 10. There will appear as many as 15 two-level transport junctions and 130 km of roads. The airport and railway station will be connected by a high-speed tram line. Construction of 6 new subway stations requires 39 billion rubles. The Kazan subway will link all the main objects of the forthcoming games.

Dmitry Medvedev marked the importance of subway development which is a fast and convenient type of transport in large megacities. "We cannot do without the subway, people need it," he emphasized.

Two more large infrastructural projects will be realized in Kazan: together with the Russian Railways there will be constructed a second city railway station which will take up the main stream of trains. The second project is construction of new bridges over the River Kazanka.

"The Universiade-2013 in Kazan is not only a big sport event, but also a technological ground for preparation for the Olympic Games in Sochi. It is very important that many objects erected for the Universiade will have social importance," the Russian President marked.

He went on to say that the Universiade is a big social project as many sites constructed for the student games will be used for needs of education, sport and social sphere in the future. "The village with a capacity of 10 thousand people will become a campus of Kazan University," Dmitry Medvedev said.

Mintimer Shaimiev thanked the President and the Prime-minister of Russia for the support they had provided at all stages of Kazan's struggle for hosting the Universiade-2013. The head of the republic said that the preparation for the Universiade had begun and all the planned sites would be ready in time.