When Kazan won the rights to host the Summer Universiade 2013 the city possessed enormous potential. Kazan is and was among the largest scientific and educational centres of Russia, and second only to Moscow for the number of students in the country. Kazan State University was the third oldest school in Russia — and one of 30 institutes of higher education in the city.
The capital city of the Tatarstan region had an ambitious master plan for hosting the first Universiade on Russian soil since the 1973 summer games in Moscow. Since then, the many new and refurbished sport infrastructures had modernised the city and turned it into an exceptional, international sports haven. With all the sports facilities open to university students and the public one hears still today about the deep sense of pride and joy that hosting the Summer Universiade still brings to the townspeople of Kazan.