MOSCOW, December 5 (R-Sport) - Organizers of the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan expect around 9,500 athletes to take part, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said Wednesday.
The 2009 games in Belgrade attracted nearly 10,000 participants, while officials at the 2011 edition in Shenzhen, China, claimed they surpassed that figure for the first time in the event's history.
"We will have 301 medal sets on offer, just one short of the London Games," Mutko said.
"We think that 9,500 athletes will take part, plus 1,500 to 2,000 coaches and specialists."
The 27th university games will take place from July 6 to 17 in the capital of the Tatarstan region.
The opening ceremony is set to take place at the newly built home of local football team Rubin Kazan.
On Saturday the Presidential Heraldry Council of Russia registered the flag for the games, a stylized tulip drawn in five colors on white background accompanied by the Universiade logo.