It is the
world scale, and the broadcasting will be to the whole world. It is difficult
to imagine a larger number of VIP guests of the football world. Serious work
was carried out. The protocol of the FIFA event is severe. The rules are
stricter than in football itself. Nevertheless, we coped with honor, received
the highest evaluation from Gianni Infantino, the president of the FIFA, and
his colleagues.
We work so
much on the image of the city and the republic, on its tourist attraction. It
would seem that we are growing in the number of tourists: we crossed the bar of
2 million. Nevertheless, many think that there is no other life in Russia
outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg. They are struck by our rich history and
culture, powerful industrial potential, affability, educated people, the
university, the availability of sports infrastructure. They discover for
themselves as the eighth wonder of the world with a sincere surprise that there
are such cities in Russia, such civilized megacities. This is a great
revelation for them.
It's great
that Kazan has grown to such a level together with the republic and country.
There is nothing more ambitious in the sports world than the World Cup. But
this is not only a sport. This is the largest coverage of the TV audience.
This is an
opportunity for us to tell about our people, traditions, and culture, to enter
a new level of improvement and security.
It is a
great honor for Kazan to become a participant of such a large international
sporting event on the eve of the World Cup. And honor and responsibility. We
will do our best and even more so that the participants and guests are
surrounded by warmth, care, and love, and this was an unforgettable holiday for
them.