Rustam Minnikhanov takes part in opening ceremony of VI President of the Russian Federation’s Weightlifting Cup

On March 19, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov took part in an official opening ceremony of VI Presidential Weightlifting Cup.

The competition is held under the auspices the Weightlifting Federation of Russia and the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) at the Ak Bars Palace of Single Combats (Kazan) on March 19-20.

The competition will become a a qualifying stage for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The ceremony began with a minute of silence in memory of those who died on March 19, 2016 in a plane crash in Rostov-on-Don.

Assistant to Russian President Igor Levitin read out greetings from the Russian President Vladimir Putin and wished athletes success. He thanked the regional leadership for well-organized weightlifting competitions.

In his turn Minnikhanov stressed that it is a great honor for the republic to hold VI Presidential Cup in weightlifting, and assured that all the international competitions will be held at a high level. He also wished athletes good luck and success.