Dazzling Closing Ceremony extravaganza brings FINA Worlds 2015 to an end

The company group of Igor Krutoy and production director Alexey Sechenov created the official Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 16th FINA World Championships Kazan 2015.

The Closing Ceremony consisted of several episodes; each episode was followed by a themed video. The first video ‘Thank you, volunteers!’ was dedicated to the Championships volunteers, without whom the event could not have been possible. Tatarstan’s Volga-Volga band performed in this episode. The stage was converted into a deck of a huge ship, where sailors were dancing. It was raining in the end. 40 ballet artists took part in this number.

Participants of the swimming competitions became the heroes of the second video, preceding the second episode of the show, which told the viewers of Alye Parusa (‘Scarlet Sails’) love story written by Russian writer, Aleksandr Grin. The ballet dancers and artists of the Aquamagika synchronised swimming team took part in the scene staged under the guidance of three-time Olympic champion Maria Kiseleva. They performed to the song, Make It Last, by the Therr Maitz band.

The third video was dedicated to divers, whose competitions opened the Championships. 13 medal events were held within ten days. The stadium turned into a huge neon iridescent kaleidoscope. There were four huge masks in the centre of the stage singing Santa Lucia along with the Quest Pistols Show band, robots performing their special dance alongside.

The synchronised swimmers became the stars of the fourth video. This sport stole the limelight of the event due to the fact that for the first time ever the mixed duets competed in the World Championships. This episode reminded of Ivan Kupala, the most famous national water holiday in Russia. The ballet artists with flower crowns on their heads performed to the song Vanya sung by finalist of The Voice musical TV show, Tina Kuznetsova. 40 ballet dancers, synchronised swimming artists and six teams of circus artists participated in the performance. The projection made the arena look like a field of poppies.

The show continued with the video dedicated to water polo players. They marched towards victory longer than the other athletes. The fans of this sport enjoyed the games for 14 days. The viewers saw the dance to Moscow’s On-The-Go band’s song, the dance as a symbol of eternal love. The pair went to the bottom of the pool dissolving in the water in the end of the episode. The ballet pair and two robots took part in the scene. An image was projected on spectators featuring an artwork of two lively fishes longing for each other.

Athletes swimming in the only natural sports venue of the Championships told about themselves in the sixth video. The open water swimmers competed for 7 sets of medals for five days. The episode was dedicated to the power of the ocean and people’s commitment. The stage turned into a gigantic wave that six surfers attempted to conquer. The performance was accompanied with the Jump Into My Arms score by the Guru Groove Foundation band. Six circus artists took part in the number.

The viewers saw high divers in the seventh video. Their competitions lasted three days, but impressions of extreme heights were sealed in the memory of the athletes as well as spectators. Ship Song by the Kasta band paid tribute to persistence and willpower, the topics of the next episode of the show. A couple of beloved people, set apart by storm, tried to find each other back despite the boisterous weather. The light from the lighthouse showed the main character the way back to his beloved one in the end of the episode. 17 ballet dancers performed in the scene. A circus artist and a ballerina played the roles of the beloved people.

The final video ‘Thank you, Kazan!” became a dedication to the host city of the 16th FINA World Championships. The citizens, visitors of the city, volunteers, thanks to who this Championships were delivered to the highest standard, congratulated each other and TV viewers from all over the world on the conclusion of the sporting event. The ballet dancers performed a passionate dance to Sergey Lazarev’s Seven Numbers song symbolising their eternal struggle.

The protocol part of the event started with the hoisting of the FINA Flag and playing of the FINA Anthem.

The official speech of Interim President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, continued the evening: “I would like to thank the leaders of our country for entrusting Kazan and the Republic of Tatarstan with hosting these Championships; I would like to particularly thank President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and Chairman of the Russian Government, Dmitry Medvedev. I’d also like to thank the FINA Family which we’ve become part of. I would also like to thank Chairman of the Organising Committee, Mr. Mutko, for preparing these Championships for several years together. And I would truly like to thank all the federal agencies and the agencies of our republic, including the municipality of Kazan, for the preparation of these World Aquatics Championships. And I’d like to particularly thank the spectators because it was you who showed to the whole world how we love sports in Russia. Thank you all!”

FINA Director Dr. Julio Maglione was next to take the floor: “Bolshoe spasibo, Tatarstan! Bolshoe spasibo, Kazan! Bolshoe spasibo, Rossiya!”

The final part of the Closing Ceremony was marked by the handover of the FINA Flag to the next host country, Hungary. After the presentation video was played, Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban addressed the attendees of the show: “According to the medal table, Russia earned nine gold medals but in fact there must be ten of them because the Republic of Tatarstan and Kazan deserve one more medal for the organisation of the 16th FINA World Championships. You’ve set the bar very high. We will do everything possible to host the competitions to the highest standard in Budapest. I hope that after staging the Championships in Budapest, we will be as proud and content as you right now when we will be handing the FINA Flag over to the next host city. See you all in Budapest in 2017!”

The Jukebox Trio band’s performance wrapped up the Ceremony. The stage and the stands turned into a giant waterfall accompanied by the fountains show, which highlighted the official ending of the 16th FINA World Championships in Kazan.

Press Office of Organising Committee for 16th FINA World Championships