POSTED: Monday August 16th 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ILLUSTRIOUS PAST OF SAINT PETERSBURG TO GIVE PLATFORM FOR BRILLIANT FUTURE, HOPEFULLY WITH FIFA WORLD CUP

Bid for the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup - Visit of the FIFA Inspection Group, 16 to 19 August 2010

Saint Petersburg, 16 August 2010 - The City of Saint Petersburg, founded by Tsar Peter the Great, put its best foot forward as it welcomed the FIFA Inspection Delegation on the first day of their visit to assess the Russian Bid for the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup™.

The FIFA Inspection Delegation, headed by Harold Mayne-Nicholls from Chile, met with a city in which ancient and modern buildings and facilities provide a unique backdrop for a future FIFA World Cup™.

In a presentation at Smolny Palace, Saint Petersburg’s City Hall, Governor Natalia Matvienko emphasized the many assets of the “Venice of the North”: “Our illustrious past gives us a perfect platform for a brilliant future.”

“Equally impressive is our passion for football”, went Matvienko on to say. “The legacy and impact on football in our city cannot be overstated.  We eagerly hope for and look forward to the honour and opportunity to host the FIFA World Cup™.”

Tangible proof of this claim is the new stadium of local top club, Zenit Saint Petersburg, one of the locations on the schedule of the FIFA Inspection Delegation. Bid chief architect Dmitry Bush showed the future stadium to the inspection group by way of detailed drawings and a model. The visit on a special platform gave the FIFA experts a vantage point from which they were able to get complete overview of the bustling construction site. The new stadium, which would be slated to host a World Cup semi-final, will be completed in 2013. It is being constructed purpose-built for football with a maximum capacity of 69,501 and located in the sports and entertainment complex in the Park of Victory on Krestovsky Island.

Subsequently the group travelled to the historic centre of the city which, with its various monuments, constitutes a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A walk on Palace Square with a presentation regarding this location, which is to welcome more than 50,000 people for the FIFA Fan Fest, and a visit to the Mariinsky Theatre, a proposed location for the Preliminary Draw, were also part of the programme.

Yusupov Palace, one of the countless outstanding buildings in Saint Petersburg, provided the fitting framework for the welcome dinner in honour of the FIFA delegation and was attended by dignitaries, sports personnel and representatives of the Saint Petersburg business community.

On Tuesday, 17 August, the inspection tour will continue in Moscow where the FIFA Inspection delegation is also due to meet with Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The tour will continue to Kazan and Sochi on Wednesday, 18 August with the return to Moscow scheduled for Thursday, 19 August.  The FIFA Inspection Group will depart to Zurich later that afternoon.

Photo caption:

Russian Bid Deputy Director Alexander Djordjadze (left) presents Fan Fest location on iconic Palace Square with Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg to the FIFA Inspection delegation. Russia's Bid Committee Chairman and Minister of Sports, Vitaly Mutko (right) explains details to Danny Jordaan (left, seated) and Harold Mayne-Nicholls.

For more information:
Russia Bid Committee for the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup™
Julia Cooper, Communications Manager
Phone:  +7 495 660 49 80 /Mail: mail@russia2018-2022.com

Andreas Herren, International Media Coordinator
Mobile:  +41 (79) 799 0046 / Mail: media@russia2018-2022.com

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Keywords · Russia 2018 2022 · Alexey Sorokin · FIFA World Cup · Vladimir Putin · Alexander Djordjadze · Vitaly Mutko · Danny Jordaan · Harold Mayne-Nicholls

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Name: Julia Cooper
Organization: Russia 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup(TM) Bid Committee
Email:
Phone: +7 495 660 49 80
URL: http://www.russia2018-2022.com

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