Ilsur Metshin: “Games of the Future in Kazan will become the prototype of new competitions”

2,640 rooms in 33 hotels and 1,200 rooms in the Universiade Village have been prepared for guests and participants of Games of the Future in the capital of the republic of Tatarstan. About 200 thousand meals will be cooked for them. This was announced at a press conference at Kazan Expo dedicated to the opening of the tournament by the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin. The head of the city said that the city infrastructure, including sports, as well as catering enterprises, cultural institutions, and the hotels are fully ready to welcome guests.

“It is not the first time for Kazan to be in the center of the sports events. But this time we are on the threshold of a completely new multi-sport event that will unite reality and the digital world. Games of the Future in Kazan will become the prototype of new competitions. Just as the Olympics were born in Athens, a new phygital Olympiad is being born in Kazan,”- the Mayor said.

The head of the city stressed that 19 cities competed for the right to host Games of the Future. Such international events are very important for the capital of Tatarstan, they help to develop the city.

“Every time an international event is held in Kazan, a legacy remains, such as after the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the World Aquatics Championships and the 2013 Universiade. All the infrastructure for Games of the Future was ready, because this is the legacy of our previous international championships,”- the Mayor said.

Almost 300 teams from more than 100 countries will come to Kazan. In total, about 6 thousand participants, guests, and volunteers will arrive in the capital of the republic of Tatarstan.

“Three-hundred restaurants and cafes of the city are waiting to show all the cuisines of the globe. But, probably, our feature is a delicious Tatar cuisine. You will taste it once, remember it and want to try it again,”- Ilsur Metshin noted.

The Mayor spoke about the large-scale cultural program prepared for the guests of the city.

"About 80 different events have been prepared, such as museums, exhibitions, and the Chaliapin Festival. Tickets for participants and guests are booked at all facilities. Speaking of scale, we will prepare only 50 thousand meals for judges and participants, 44 thousand meals for volunteers, 100 thousand meals for coffee breaks,”- the Mayor shared statistics.

 “We see tomorrow at these venues, when completely different people from all over the world come and become friends. Welcome to Kazan. We are very glad to see you,”- Ilsur Metshin concluded.

The press conference was attended by Igor Stolyarov, the head of Games of the Future project, Vladislav Ershov, the sports director of the event, Maxim Pestushko, the phygital hockey player of the Ak Bars team, and phygital athletes from Belarus, China, and Serbia.