Phase III of the International Integrated Aquatics Competitions concluded in Kazan. 3,058 athletes from 31 countries were guests of the facilities of the Volga Region University of Sports and Tourism - the Aquatics Palace and Burevestnik Swimming Pool. The participants and judges of the Friendship Games were also students of the university.
The competitions themselves took place in three stages 'Peace', 'Sport' and 'Legends' from July 19 to December 16, 2022. During this time, 582 sets of medals were drawn and many national, European and world records were set among juniors and adults.
The third stage of the Friendship Games included international swimming competitions among young swimmers, the Svetlana Romashina Cup in synchronised swimming and the Dmitry Sautin Cup in diving.
Holding master classes by renowned athletes has become a tradition. So, at the third stage, Svetlana Romashina and Alexandra Patskevich shared their experience in synchronised swimming, as well as two-time Olympic diving champion Dmitry Sautin.
Students of Volga Region State University were not without medals. Nikita Shleicher, a senior at the university, won silver in the team diving from the three metres boardwalk with Kristina Ilinykh. A total of 14 sets of medals were awarded to 159 competitors from nine countries at the Dmitry Sautin Cup.
"All three stages of the Games of the Future were full of outstanding performances of Russian and foreign athletes; the competition will stay in the memory of fans from all over the world for a long time. I would like to give a special thanks to our foreign guests who helped to make another beautiful celebration of sports in Kazan and Russia! - Oleg Matytsin, Russia's Sports Minister, said.
