The World University Games also known as Universiade (the name is a combination of the words "University" and "Olympiad") is the second largest international multi-sport event. Only the Olympic Games themselves are bigger.
Universiade Village in Kazan
Kazan in Russia will host the Universiade in 2013 between the 6th July and the 17th of July. About 12 thousand athletes and delegations members from 170 countries, 1.5 thousand mass media representatives and about 100 thousand tourists, fans and spectators from Russia and all over the world are expected to come. The organizers will need about 20 thousand volunteers to assist.
The Universiade Village in Kazan will include information and entertainment centers, a stadium and training gyms. The capacity of the residential area is 14.5 thousand people. After the Universiade the Village will be converted into students camps with the training centre of Russian national teams of various sports.
Multinational Kazan
Being the harmony interlacement of the East and the West, Kazan is a place of living of many nations and nationalities. One can hear more than 110 languages in Kazan. Multinational relations are based on the principle of liberty of conscience, implying equality of all religions before the law, the right of a person to choose any religion. There are 153 religious organizations in Kazan, including 68 Moslem, 48 Orthodox, 30 Protestant, 2 catholic and several organizations of nontraditional religions.
Kazan is one of the oldest cities of unique multi-national historical and cultural heritage. It preserved archaeological, architectural and cultural relics and monuments of ancient Bulgar, Golden Horde, Kazanian khanate, Russian and Soviet periods. There are 758 historical and cultural relics in the city.
Cultural Highlights
Kazan is the capital of original people and multinational republic. This nation has its own language, culture, old traditions, religion and holidays. Being the centre of multinational culture, contemporary Kazan has been the organizer of the International Festival of Opera Singing, named after F. Shalyapin, the Festival of Ballet Dancing, named after R. Nuriyev, festivals of organ music, theatre performance, Pianoforum and others.
It is impossible to imagine cultural and spiritual life of the city without Tatar national holidays, such as Sabanyui (Harvest Holiday), Nauruz and the main festival, the Republic Day, which is celebrated on August, 30. This holiday implies both ancient customs and festivals and a new traits of Kazan. The role of Kazan in the development of cultural links between the Tatars overseas is special. Kazan has been the spiritual capital of the Tatars, living all over the world.
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