The day before the official opening of Yeltsin Cup at the opening press conference journalists has a chance to questions the Minister of sport of Sverdlovsk region Leonid Aronovich Rapoport, the representative of the organizing Committee – Nikolai Karpol, the head coach of the Russian national team Yury Marichev, captain of the Russian team Ekaterina Kosyanenko and head coach of Czech Republic team – Carlo Parisi.

Leonid Rapoport: “it’s Nice that the Cup got permanent residence in Ekaterinburg. Among major sports projects in the Sverdlovsk region it occupies a place of honor! This year we will be welcoming our guest teams, but we hope that Russia will leave the Cup at home, and win these important games. I am absolutely sure that we will see in the competition arena future volleyball diamonds “.

Nikolai Karpol: “The First tournament was held in 2003 by the Decision of the Council of Ministers in the homeland of the first President. The Cup is a tribute to this eminent statesman. Boris Nikolayevich himself was active in volleyball, was a multiple champion and prize-winner of competitions of different levels. Unfortunately, this year there was a pad in the preparation of our team. The dates of the Cup coincided with the dates of the first European Games in Baku. Therefore, many of the strongest teams were forced to cancel the trip to Ekaterinburg. Nevertheless, Russia has presented the first line-up is the Cup (second team now represents the country in Azerbaijan). The Czech Republic also brought a strong lineup. And by the way, I think that between these two teams will unfold the main fight for the victory. China brought the Cup youth team (under 23 years). But even this fact will not prevent the Chinese Diaspora to give this team a warm reception”.

Yury Marichev: “I want to thank the organizers and personally to Nikolai for the tournament once again held at such a high level. For us, this is really the first and important stage of preparation for the main event. Unfortunately, many athletes now in the squad of the second team in Baku, but the lineup, which we brought to Ekaterinburg is the strongest. Because of injuries are not yet available Tatyana Kosheleva, Evgeniya Startseva and Lyubov Sokolova. I hope that athletes will join us soon. We have to break in the beginners, to check what they can do”.

Ekaterina Kosyanenko: “We are glad to be here, we always receive a very warm welcome in Yekaterinburg. We are in great mood. We have already trained together for some time and will check everything in the game.”

Carlo Parisi: “This tournament is for us a great opportunity, we are here for the first time. And will be able to assess our strength. We are a relatively young team, some of the players are missing. I hope the Yeltsin Cup will be a great chance to prepare for the European Championship and Grand Prix.
The tournament will have its official opening on June 17th at 18:00. The opening ceremony will be attended by the wife of the first President Naina Yeltsin. The entrance to all matches according to tradition is FREE!

Yeltsin Cup opening press conference will be held on 16th June at 15:00 in press conference room at Competition arena of DIVS.

Participants are:
Leonid Rapoport – Minister of physical culture, sport and youth policy (Sverdlovsk region)
Nikolay Karpol – main organizer of Yeltsin Cup
Yuri Marichev – head coach of Russian national team.
Ekaterina Kosianenko – captain of Russian national team
Carlo Parisi – head coach of Czech Republic national team

DIVS, Competition arena, press conference room (10, Eremina str.)

Every time we celebrate the victories of our athletes, but we get even happier if we all together can accomplish good things. The organizing committee of the Yeltsin Cup, volleyball club “Uralochka” and charitable foundation “We are together” for the second year in a row hold the project to help seriously ill kids.

Everybody has a chance to join the campaign of good deeds. For five days, everyone will be able to get tickets to participate in a charity lottery. Every day for the last match will be a raffle, which brought the participants of the tournament from different countries.

Last year we managed to collect 91 thousand rubles for the treatment of Alyosha Vasilyev, a five year old boy for several years struggling with a rare type of tumor – sialoblastoma. This money helped the boy to have surgery in Munich, and now he is on the mend and have visited matches of our volleyball club Uralochka.

This year we dream to help Dasha Argutchinskaya, which in her three years of life already had complicated surgeries and multiple courses of chemotherapy.

Medical history Dasha began when she was six months old. It turned out that the girl has cancer in both eyes. On the left eye, the tumor has grown so much that it had to be removed. But the little girl is keeping the hope, for the eyesight of a child for the third year fighting a prominent German ophthalmologist.

In order to avoid possible relapses, Dasha needs to be treated in Berlin every three months. But in addition, Dasha is growing, and she periodically requires replacement of the ocular prosthesis, which is made for it individually, it’s very comfortable and indistinguishable from the real eye.

Dasha’s mother does not give up and believes that her little girl will grow up healthy and happy. But this mission requires a lot of money, which for her alone it is impossible to gather. Dasha and her mom live in the village Bulanash, Artemovsky district of the Sverdlovsk region, and hope that we will help them.

Everyone is able to! Let us together make good things happen, and perhaps in a year Dasha will be able to see a volleyball match, in a same way that we see it!

Kazakh-style horse beef, Jewish appetizer and real Russian okroshka:
getting ready for Yeltsin Cup with taste!

Under Yeltsin Cup-2015 representatives of the countries-competitors surprised the viewers of OTV Channel with the unusual recipes of national cuisines in the Morning-TV program. Let us remember that 5 teams are participating at the Cup: Russia, China, Israel, Kazakhstan and Czech Republic.

Our Uralochka member Valeria Safonova shared her family okroshka recipe! Accompanied by an anchor Dmitry Sergeev Lera cooked delicious summer soup that is so appreciated by Ural residents! Cooking masterclass along with the stories how Lera spends her vacations passed momentary.

Kazakh team at the cooking show was presented by a member of Kazakh youth community in the Sverdlovsk Region Altynai Begzhanova. She amazed the anchors with the national savory salad Medeu. She had braised the horse meat before the shooting, and then in the dazed companion’s sight dressed it with vegetables and adjika sauce. The program anchor Julia Kurochkina, who had first tried such a dainty meat, came around for a long time after the gourmet shock.

A member of Jewish youth organization Gigel Valeria Baikovitch pleased the viewers with Jewish cheese appetizer. According to Valeria, they are going to gather the most numerous fan team to support Israel team at the Cup.

Follow OTV Channel. Unique recipes from countries-competitors of the Yeltsin Cup will be shown in Morning-TV program, June 8-10!