The event is attended by Vice Premier of Russia Arkady Dvorkovich.
The conference coinciding with the Confederations Cup is organized jointly with Higher School of Economics and New Economic School.
In his opening word Rector Ilshat Gafurov touched on the importance of sports as a component of territorial development strategies, “Sports today is not only an inalienable part of social activity but also an important economic sector”.
Naturally, football, being the most popular sport in the world, is a central element of sports economics. It is studied at the KFU Institute of Management, Economics and Finance, specifically as a part of the master program “Management and Legal Support of Sports Industry”. This is a unique program, one of the very few such in Russia.
Vice Premier Dvorkovich, who is a frequent guest at KFU, this time toured the Institute. During the greeting in front of the conference attendees he said, “I want to thank the three organizing universities – KFU, NES, and HSE. Economics of football is a part of our lives but not yet an analytical discipline. Football in our country, despite all difficulties, develops at a steady pace. We view sports a factor of social and economic development – and football, as the most massive athletic discipline, in particular. We hold tournaments for our fans – but not only them. They help reshape our country. This has happened in Sochi and happens in many other cities”.
Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin was eager to offer the city as one such example, “We are honored that Kazan is one of the four hosting cities of the Confederations Cup. I can use the example of our city to prove how sports events change the economy. Kazan before the World Student Games, FINA World Championships, and the Confederations Cup and today are two different cities”.
The conference takes up June 23rd – 24th, and its participants may use the opportunity to visit the Russia – Mexico match on Saturday.