Oleg Matytsin: “Kazan has been demonstrating the highest level in holding world championships for more than 10 years”

On July 19, the first stage of the Solidarity Games will start in Kazan bringing together around a thousand athletes.

On July 19, the first stage of the Solidarity Games -multidisciplinary international sport competitions- will start in Kazan. The competitions will be held in three aquatic sports – swimming, synchronized swimming and diving. Oleg Matytsin, Russian Minister of Sports, announced it during a press conference at the TASS News Agency. “Kazan has been demonstrating the high level in the organization and holding of world championships for more than 10 years and is rightfully considered the sports capital of Russia”, - he stressed.

The competitions will consist of three stages – World, Sport and Legends. The first stage will be held from July 19 to August 3. The official opening will take place on July 21. The best swimmers, synchronized swimmers and divers from Russia and other countries will compete in the capital of Tatarstan for two weeks. Over a thousand athletes will take part in the competition, 200 of them will come from other countries, O.Matytsin reported.

The Swimming Federation has adjusted the training calendar so that all Russian top swimmers will be able to take part in the competition, said the president of the All-Russian Swimming Federation, four-time Olympic champion Vladimir Salnikov. He informed that during the competition points will be awarded, according to them athletes will receive prizes and awards.

The second stage of the Solidarity Games is scheduled for 9 -26 November, 2022. It will unite the Tatarstan President’s Cup in diving and international swimming competitions.

The third final stage of the Games will be held from 8 to 17 December and will bring together legends of water sports in the capital of Tatarstan. Athletes will compete for the Vladimir Salnikov Cup in swimming, Svetlana Romashina Cup in synchronized swimming and Dmitry Sautin Cup in diving.

According to O. Matytsin, the Solidarity Games are held to maintain the competitive training of athletes, as well as to strengthen the sports potential of our country.

The Solidarity Games are organized with the support of the Russian Ministry of Sports, the Ministry of Sports of the republic of Tatarstan, the Directorate of Sports and Social Projects, the All-Russian Swimming Federation, the Synchronized Swimming Federation of Russia and the Diving Federation of Russia.