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President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov receives Jean Petitjean award

FISU 18 June 2018

On 17 June, FISU President Oleg Matytsin and Secretary General Eric Saintrond met with the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, to confer on him FISU’s highest award: the Jean Petitjean medal.

 

The award was created in 2013 in honour of Jean Petitjean, the French educator and founder of the international university sports movement who organised the first World University Games in Paris.

 

The Jean Petitjean medal is presented in recognition of outstanding personal contributions to the development of international university sports. It has previously been awarded to renowned individuals including Konstantin Anastassov, one of the organisers of the first Universiades, and Claude-Louis Gallien, FISU President from 2011 to 2015.

 The Tartarstan president Rustam Minnikhanov (centre) receives the highest FISU honor, the Jean Petitjean award with FISU President Oleg Matytsin (right) and FISU Secretary General Eric Saintrond

Mr Rustam Minnikhanov has been President of Tatarstan, a Republic of the Russian Federation since 2010. He played a crucial role in the preparations to the 2013 Summer Universiade Kazan. The Universiade, which is considered to be one of the best in FISU’s history, was a major stepping-stone event for Kazan. The city has used the Universiade’s legacy to promote youth sport, as well as host other top-level sports events such as 2015 FINA World Championships and this year’s FIFA World Cup.

 The Kazan 2013 Summer Universiade (pictured above) helped set in motion the sprit, sport know-how and infrastructure to transform the city into an international sports event hub

President Minnikhanov, a sports enthusiast and a professional racing driver, has continuously supported FISU’s initiatives, including the FISU Volunteer Leaders Academy. This year the event, which is being held in Kazan for the second consecutive year, has brought together young leaders from 98 countries for a week of training and masterclasses that will see them return home to make an even greater contribution to student sport. The Academy’s graduates will be appointed as FISU Student Ambassadors in charge of promoting FISU events among youth and students and raising awareness about university sports in general.

 Now in its second edition, the FISU Volunteer Leaders Academy has added to the city’s prestige, helping this year train over 100 emerging sport leaders with the practical skills for taking sports to even greater heights