For significant contribution to the development of cross-country skiing in the Republic of Tatarstan for the 2022-2023 season. The Volga Region University of Sports and Tourism was awarded a certificate of merit by the federation's president.
Rafis Burganov, rector of the sports university, received the well-deserved award during the official ceremony dedicated to summing up the results of the past ski season. In addition, Rishat Galiev, head of the Department of Theory and Methodology of Cross-Country Skiing, and Marat Gibadullin, associate professor, were awarded a Certificate of Merit and a Letter of Gratitude.
Elena Vyalbe, President of the Cross-Country Skiing Federation of Russia, was the guest of honour at the festival, stating in her welcoming speech that currently Tatarstan's skiing team had no clear leaders, but the consistency of results shown by the republic's skiers speaks for itself.
"You have to understand that athletes don't grow that fast. But we've already seen many bright names in Tatarstan. The sixth Russian Cup in a row testifies to dynamic development of cross-country skiing in your republic. I know how many kids are involved in skiing here, and I am proud to tell everyone about it. In some time it will pay off in the form of accomplished athletes," said Elena Vyalbe, who is an associate professor of the Department of Theory and Methodology of Cross-Country Skiing at Volga Region University.
