On September 7, the grand opening of the 2nd Smart City. Sport is Life All-Russian Games took place in the Star sports and recreation complex. For the second time, an important sports festival of the country has been held in Saratov.

The bright modern show was attended by Governor of the region Roman Busargin, SSU Rector Aleksei Chumachenko, Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Organisational Work Anton Golovchenko. Saratov State University students helped organise the large-scale event. About 30 SSU activists volunteered in it.

At the beginning of the event, the Russian flag was hoisted by the famous athletes of the region, including a gold medal winner of the 2012 Olympic Games in synchronized jumping from a 3-meter springboard, a world champion in diving Ilya Zakharov, a silver and bronze medal winner of the World Championships, a European champion in kayaking and canoeing Natalia Stukalskaya (Lobova), a world and European champion in swimming among athletes with impaired muscle power Dennis Tarasov, and Honoured Coach of Russia, Master of Sports in athletics Tamara Tupikova.

The Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian President in the Volga Federal District Igor Komarov addressed the participants of the games in a video message. Welcoming addresses, which were read out by the presenters, had been sent by Russian Deputy Prime Ministers Dmitrii Chernyshenko and Marat Khusnullin.

Governor of the region Roman Busargin hoped the participants would gain victories at the games. ‘For the second year in a row, we have welcomed the guests, but we are still worried. We really want you to like Saratov, so that you will love it and will remember these three days for a long time. Drawn on the experience of the first competitions, I assume that they have given us a lot – business communication, understanding of what a modern city should be, as well as showed how much sport may unite. People, their health, safety, and comfort have been and will be the priority of the forum, business venues, and competitions. Successful people are successful cities. Parts of this formula may be reversed, but the meaning remains the same. Thanks to the participants and organisers! May you have many bright impressions and victories.’

The start of the games was marked by a bright show. A pleasant surprise for the audience was the spectacular performance of motorcyclists with pyrotechnics. The guests enjoyed a lot of energetic musical performances by professional singers, and young dancers supported the bright atmosphere of the event.

The audience remembered the performance of gymnasts in the air, who dressed up in cosmonaut costumes to the modern accompaniment of a symphony orchestra. A bright part of the show was the musical performance of DJ Groove, during which the participating teams of the games were presented. The final part of the event the performance of one of the members of Prime Minister band Pete Jason.

The sports competitions will be held from 7 to 9 September. More than 700 amateur athletes aged 18-60 years from 11 Russian regions have come to the competitions in Saratov. The programme consists of eight sports – beach volleyball, basketball (3×3), football (8×8), RLD all-around, functional all-around, badminton, table tennis, and chess. The Saratov Region national team includes SSU students.

Saratov will host a motorbike parade, a mass race at distances from 3 to 10 km, a sailing regatta, a workout festival, and other types of street sports. It is planned to organise fan meetings with famous athletes, show movies, and conduct culinary duels. A significant part of the events will be organised on the Cosmonauts Embankment.

During the business programme of the events, its members are to discuss topical issues of interaction between the government and businessmen. The guests will enjoy an open living room, plenary meetings, strategic sessions, as well as joint field public meetings.