Universiade Roundup - Officials Bemoan Empty Seats; Medvedev Praises Russian Success

Kazan 2013 Officials Bemoan No-Show by Ticket-Holders

Russian officials at the World University Games in Kazan on Wednesday explained the empty stands at many of the competition venues by the fact that people who had bought tickets simply had not bothered to turn up.

The organizers claimed that more than 85 percent of all tickets on offer had been sold, but television pictures told a different story as many athletes competed against a backdrop of empty seats, though poor weather had clearly played its part.

"In the first days, we saw free seats at the stands, while other people couldn’t get inside the venues," said Igor Sivov, the organizing committee’s deputy general manager.

"We found out that a lot of people purchased big packs of tickets before the opening ceremony and then didn’t show up."

Severe wind and rain saw Tuesday's athletics program at the Central Stadium postponed for half an hour as competitors ran for cover.

But indoor events such as the gymnastics saw healthy crowds at the 3,200-capacity Kazan Gymnastics Center.

Tatarstan official Airat Khairullin, who is responsible for the ticket program, added some people purchased tickets just to get inside the Universiade Park and soak up the atmosphere without attending the competition.

Organizers are attempting to rectify the issue by reprinting tickets for under-attended events with the help of officials who monitor crowd levels in real time.

Russia has spent around $4.5 billion on preparations for the games, the president of the International University Sports Federation Claude-Louis Gallien said last week, in the first overall cost estimate for the event.

Medvedev Praises Russian Success

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has congratulated the Russian team at the World University Games on its massive lead in the medal table at the multi-sport event.

The games are taking place in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s republic of Tatarstan, where the Russians have won 41 gold medals, leaving the competition trailing in their wake.

South Korea is a distant second with six golds on the fifth day of competition.

"We're doing very well, we're leading a field of 162 teams. The guys have done great," Medvedev said. "Let's wish them luck and support our team."

Russia is on course to shatter China's student games record of 75 golds set in Shenzhen in 2011 at the event, which runs through July 17.

Published by exclusive arrangement with ATR’s Sochi 2014 media partner RIA-Novosti.

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