Ilsur Metshin: “We always try to make improvements for new competitions that will take the sports infrastructure of Kazan to a new level”

Training sessions for participants of the BRICS Games have begun in Kazan. One of the first athletes came to the Rowing Sports Center on the embankment of the Sredny Kaban Lake. More than 50 players of the Russian and Iranian national teams live and train on the territory of the complex, where rowing and canoeing competitions will take place. Rowers from Serbia are expected to arrive soon. The necessary equipment was prepared for the athletes, residential premises and training areas were renovated, and a special menu was agreed upon in advance. Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, inspected the readiness of the venue for international competitions.

“We always try to make improvements for new competitions that will take Kazan's sports infrastructure to a new level. Thanks to the BRICS Games, the rowing channel has been renovated. We also renovated the Boxing and Table Tennis Center, our famous Central Stadium, where Rubin competed with Barcelona, as well as with Liverpool and Chelsea. We have worked hard to smoothly host the BRICS Games. The whole country will support you. I wish you successful competitions,”- Ilsur Metshin addressed the Russian athletes.

The Rowing Sports Center was built for the 2013 Universiade. This year, the road leading to it was repaired, along which public transport will be launched. The Russian national rowing team consists of 32 people (16 men and 16 women), one of them is Artyom Kosov from Kazan. He thanked the Mayor for the comfortable conditions created in the center for athletes, including children's training, and also appreciated the transport accessibility of the complex. “There will be a new bus route nearby. A bus stop opens near the center, and children and adults will be able to safely get to the sports school and back,”-  the athlete noted.

Now athletes train three times a day from one to two hours. “Currently, we are having a competitive training period, so the training is already becoming more intense, but we are slightly reducing their number”- said Alexander Zyuzin, head coach of the Russian rowing team. He also draws attention to the good nutrition for athletes. “We have a doctor with whom the nutrition was pre-agreed so that the players feel good before the start. There are enough necessary proteins and carbohydrates in the menu, everything is fine,”- the head coach of the Russian national team shared his opinion.

The venue is ideal for holding training and competitions, including international, and has the best conditions for athletes. It has a rowing distance of 2 km. The Regatta hotels and the Center for restorative medicine are used for accommodation and recreation.

In addition, all necessary equipment and inventory has been prepared – boats, catamarans, engines for rafts, as well as medical devices (pressure chambers, first-aid kits). Albano systems (the method of marking race tracks on water), the start and photo finish of competitions were updated for the BRICS Games.

More than 5,000 people from 93 countries will take part in the BRICS Games, which will start tomorrow and last until June 23.