Hosting the 2019 World Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk
24 January 2019 12:30 Government House, Moscow
Government meeting.
Excerpts from Dmitry Medvedev’s remarks:
Government meeting
We will begin our meeting with the preparation for the 29th World Winter Universiade, or World Student Games, which are to be held in Krasnoyarsk from 2 to 12 March.
Russia has hosted many major prestigious international competitions: the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014, the FIFA World Cup this year. Many athletes and fans from different countries called them the best yet and noted the warm and hospitable atmosphere, the excellent work of all services, the security. The same is also expected from us now. I am sure that we will live up to these expectations.
Preparations for the Universiade have been going on for over four years in parallel with the preparations for the FIFA World Cup. Our previous experience helps. At this moment, we are basically ready.
About 50 billion roubles have been allocated from the federal budget over the four years to organise and hold the Universiade. And more than 30 billion roubles came from the Krasnoyarsk Territory budget. Thirty-four capital construction facilities were built from the ground up or renovated. They include sports complexes, centres, tracks, medical institutions, houses, dormitories in the Universiade Village – generally speaking, all that is required.
Hopefully, Krasnoyarsk itself is also ready for the international competitions. The city facilities were repaired; residents of dilapidated and hazardous buildings were relocated to new housing. Equipment was purchased for city needs. However, we understand that there are still some details that have to be taken care of. About five billion roubles were provided for these purposes from the federal budget in 2018 and the regional authorities have also allotted their funds. Let’s hope that everything is done to the utmost.
There is great interest in the event. Over 110,000 fans from different countries have bought tickets and received invitations to the sport competitions. More than 40,000 volunteers applied. Five thousand out of them will be accepted, so the competition is stiff.
The Universiade will last for 10 days but its legacy will remain for many years to come. That was the case in Kazan, Sochi, Moscow, St Petersburg and other Russian cities which hosted major international competitions. I hope that all sport centres, ski slopes, skating rinks and training grounds will be in demand. This will give thousands of our people an opportunity to play sports and exercise. And this outcome of the Universiade is no less important than the medals and records of its participants.
