2013 World summer Universiade Torch Lighting Ceremony held in Paris

The XXVII World summer Universiade Torch Lighting Ceremony was officially launched at Paris Sorbonne University on July 12th, 2012.

The ceremony was attended by Mintimer Shaimiev, Tatarstan’s State Counselor; FISU President Claude-Louis Gallien; President of Paris-Sorbonne University Barthélémy Jobert; Oleg Matytsin, President of the RSSU (Russian Student Sports Union); José Savoye, President of the FFSU (French University Sports Federation) and Vladimir Leonov, Director General of the Kazan 2013 Executive Committee.

“Due to FISU support, Universiade 2013 in Kazan, we are here today, in Sorbonne – the “cradle” of student sport games. We cannot but agree that sport and knowledge unite people all over the world. The Universiade Torch is a symbol of unity among youth and people living on our planet for the sake of beautiful future and positive present. Owing to decisive actions and support of the Russian President and Government, great work implemented by President and Government of our republic, preparation for the forthcoming Universiade is being successfully realized in Tatarstan. The Kazan Universiade will be one of the biggest games by the amount of competitions and sportsmen. We expect more than 100 thousand guests to come. I am sure we are perfectly ready to host the World Universiade. Preparation work is being performed at all 64 objects today,” Tatarstan's first President Mintimer Shaimiev said at the ceremony.

The honour to kindle the Flame was awarded to five students of Paris-Sorbonne University who represented the five continents of the world– Europe (France), Asia (China), America (Mexico), Africa (Egypt) and Australia. During the Lighting Ceremony they joined the torches of blue, yellow, black, green, and red colors (FISU colors) together, embodying unity of all nations of the Planet Earth under the aegis of sport. President of Paris-Sorbonne University Barthélémy Jobert lighted the Torch and passed it on to other officials.

First international student sport games were held in Paris in 1923. Therefore, today’s ceremony has aroused new FISU traditions. During 369 days the Flame will be travelling around five continents. The Universiade Torch Relay’s journey across Russia will cover 30,000 kilometres. Travelling from west to east, the Flame will be carried through Russia’s 27 top university centres: Arkhangelsk, Rostov-on-Don, Pyatigorsk, Sochi, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Tyumen, Ekaterinburg, Izhevsk, Perm, Ufa, Orenburg, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Saratov, Penza, Saransk, Nizhny Novgorod, Cheboksary, Yoshkar-Ola, Kirov, St. Petersburg, Moscow.

Moscow, the capital of Russia, will welcome the Universiade Torch Relay back to Russia in December 2012. By that time the Flame will have been carried through five continents. It will be handed over for storage to the Lomonosov Moscow State University where it will be kept until the start of the Russian phase of the Universiade Torch Relay in 2013. The Universiade Torch Relay will come to an end on July 6th, 2013 during the solemn Opening Ceremony of the 27th Summer Universiade.