(ATR) Sochi, the 2014 Olympic host, played its part in Russia’s 1000-day countdown celebrations to the World Cup.
The main festivities in Sochi were held in the medals plaza area of the Olympic Park on Friday, with the city’s mayor Anatoly Pakhomov launching the celebrations. City residents released 2,018 balloons into the skies and watched what the TASS news agency called a ‘mega-football’ match involving 300 young players.
More than 45,000 Russians took part in countdown celebrations in 33 cities including the 11 host cities which will stage games at 12 stadiums. They are: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara.
Moscow’s Red Square was transformed into a giant football fan park, with thousands of visitors watching an U16 competition between Russia, Spain, Germany and Italy on a field installed there. A huge countdown clock was also unveiled in Manege Square in central Moscow. The World Cup kicks off at the Russian capital’s Luzhniki Stadium on June 14, 2018.
The FIFA World Cup trophy was also on display in a pavilion in Red Square.
Russian president Vladimir Putin addressed the Moscow ceremony via video linkup from Sochi.
The Olympic city along with Moscow and Saint Petersburg will host the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, the traditional warm-up to FIFA’squadrennial showpiece.
The opening and closing ceremonies stadium for the Sochi Winter Olympics is currently undergoing a major revamp for the World Cup, which will see its 40,000 capacity expanded to around 47,000 seats.
Vitaly Mutko, Russia’s sports minister and a FIFA ExCo member, was among the dignatories. Following FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke’s suspension last week over World Cup ticketing allegations, director of competitions Colin Smith was the highest-ranking official in attendance from world football’s governing body.
Mutko promised that Russia would stage the "best World Cup ever", but admitted there was a huge amount of hard work ahead. Construction of new stadiums and renovation of existing venues might be the easy part; upgrading of transport infrastructure both in and between cities is the toughest challenge.
Mutko also said Valcke’s suspension "should not be politicized".
"The investigation of US and Swiss law enforcers are under way. These people say more exposures may follow. While the investigation goes on, we should be ready for such decisions. Valcke has quit to avoid pressure on FIFA," Mutko told reporters, according to TASS.
Reported by Mark Bisson
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