The
16th FINA World Masters Championships concluded with a spectacular musical show
that took place at the FINA Water World Park. Admission to the Park was free –
all comers visiting this evening the Championships’ major cultural venue could
witness this sparkling event and immerse themselves into an incredible sports
extravaganza.
The
event kicked off at 19:00 with some warm-up routines. At 19:30 the fanfares
marked the beginning of the Closing Ceremony. Just like at the Opening
Ceremony, two popular Kazan TV presenters – Ksenia Sedunova and Timur Khanbikov
– MC-ed the event. The show started with a sports and dance prologue featuring
the Charm show theatre, as well as Kazan’s best gymnasts and acrobats. At the
beginning of the ceremony, spectators saw a video clip, titled ‘Kaleidoscope of
FINA Worlds events’, demonstrating the highlights of the World Aquatics
Championships.
Spectators
were treated to an explosion of cultural events including songs performed
in the Russian and English languages, masterful dances and acrobatic routines,
thematic video clips, pyrotechnic effects and performances by best music and
dance ensembles of the city and the republic, etc.
The
evening was headlined by the performance of the famous Russian pop band
Ivanushki International. After some really foot tapping hit songs, two high
officials – FINA Bureau Member Dr. Mohamed Diop and Prime Minister of the
Republci of Tatarstan Ildar Khalikov – took the floor to say their words of
welcome.
In his
opening speech, Ildar Khalikov said: “We feel a little sad that the
international aquatics festival has come to an end. Thank you, the FINA Family,
for entrusting us with the staging of such a large-scale sporting event. Thank
you, citizens of Kazan and the organisers, for a brilliant delivery of the
World Championships. And we would like to especially thank the FINA Family for
giving us a chance to host the Masters tournament that has ended today. Over
2,500 athletes representing 73 countries arrived here to prove that they are
strong in their mind and their body and to inspire thousands of people just
like them to do sports. On behalf of our Interim President of the Republic of
Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, I would like to thank the guests of the
Championships, the guests of Kazan. And welcome again to Kazan!”
“We’ve
come to the end of the memorable FINA World Masters Championships in Kazan that
have become one of the brightest pages in the FINA history. The entire world
saw how beautiful and remarkable aquatic sports are. We would like to thank all
athletes and technical officials that arrived in Kazan from all parts of the
world and made everything possible to ensure that all competitions were held in
compliance with the rules of the International Swimming Federation (FINA) and
Fair Play. Here in Kazan, we all felt like we were at home due to a high
quality of venues, extraordinary organisation and incredible hospitality. We
will never forget these World Championships,” FINA Bureau Member Dr. Mohamed
Diop said.
The
ceremony wrapped up with a spectacular firework display. The festivities
continued with an open air party featuring some popular DJ sets.
Press
Office of Organising Committee for 16th FINA World Championships
How to contribute to francisswim blog. Click here
No comments:
Post a Comment