Thumbs up for Kazan !
As a European Championships, Weert was big. Raced over the standard distance, it attracted a strong-quality field of athletes across the age-groups, from the junior athletes, through the Elite and right up to our oldest athletes in the very senior age categories.
Yes, Weert was big but Kazan, although it will deliver the Sprint Distance European Championships, will be epic. The Russian Triathlon Federation ФЕДЕРАЦИИ ТРИАТЛОНА РОССИИ and Ironstar welcome you.
For many, this will be their first trip to Russia. For some, it will be a chance again to renew their friendship with this fascinating country. Russia has previously hosted a European Championships. That was back in 2013, was for the U23 athletes and was held in Penza. The journey to and from the city, around 600km south-east of Moscow, was one that made it a real adventure and for those who did travel there, the memories of the city, the welcome and the racing will long remain.
Kazan will be even more of an adventure. Sitting on the banks of the Volga and Kazanka rivers, it is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan and over 700km east of Moscow. The sense of stepping into another world will, for those who have never stood on a street corner and tried to decipher the Cyrillic street signs, be striking.
Named “The Sports Capital of Russia” in 2009, Каза́нь still holds this title and we are lucky to have seen how the event has been building up to become the hosts to the 2019 ETU Sprint Triathlon European Championships. The album accompanying this preview contains a selection of photos taken by one of the Technical Delegates, Alpár Nagy, who has been making regular trips to the venue to ensure that the planning and build will be delivered to you, the athletes.
No doubt those of you who have decided to go have already got your visas sorted, your accommodation booked and your flights and travel plans in place. If the flight is still proving to be a challenge, we have had news about direct flights from Germany that are operated by Aeroflot Russian airlines.
One good piece of advice is to buy a simple phrase book and get to grips with the language before you go. The ability to say “good morning” and “thank you” will set you up well. Make a copy of the alphabet and print this out. Keep it with you and use it to work out what the signs are if there are no translations into English.
The LOC has seen the start lists and knows who to expect. Sunday 28th will see all the Age Group racing and aside from the ETU Championships, the LOC has a huge open programme of races for all ages and abilities. If you are accompanying an athlete and fancy racing, why not check the website and enter one of the open events?
The Ironstar Expo opens on Friday at 09:00, so while you are registering you can have a look at what’s new. There is a bike service available all day for those athletes whose National Federation has not come with a bike mechanic. Check the ETU event website for all important updates as the Technical Delegates will use this website as their main way of mass-communication.
The big thing about travelling to Kazan is to go there with your eyes and mind open and with an extra-large SD card in your phone and camera.
мы будем в казани. ты тоже будешь там?
Safe travels. See you there.
