MOSCOW, 10 May 2010 – A high-level delegation of the Russian Bid Committee for the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup™ will travel to Zurich for the official ceremony to hand over the bid book to FIFA on 14 May 2010.
The delegation, who will formally present the extensive bidding documentation to FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and General Secretary Jérôme Valcke, will be headed by Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, who is coordinating the entire bid effort on behalf of the government of the Russian Federation. He will be accompanied by the Minister of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy and member of the FIFA Executive Committee, Vitaly Mutko, Russian Football Union President, Sergey Fursenko and Bid CEO Alexey Sorokin. Also part of the delegation will be Dr Viacheslav Koloskov, the Honorary President of Russian Football Union, Special Advisor to the Bid Committee, and formerly a long-standing member of the FIFA Executive Committee.
Bid CEO Alexey Sorokin said: “Following up on the visits of the FIFA President to Moscow and based on the governmental guarantees recently signed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, we are proud to now submit our bid book which will explain in detail how Russia plans to organise FIFA’s flagship event should it be awarded the honour and privilege of being selected as hosts. We hope that our documentation will not only meet but also exceed FIFA’s requirements as befits the status of the FIFA World Cup™.”
The actual bid book consists of three volumes with a total of 1,100 pages. Every set has a weight of almost 7 kilograms. The documentation provides a comprehensive overview of Russia as a potential host country for the FIFA World Cup™ and includes a detailed Hosting Concept, extensive information on the planned 13 Host Cities and 16 stadiums along with media installations, team base camps and training sites, transportation, hotel accommodation, information technology and communications, safety and security as well as health and medical services. Also included in the documentation are all relevant data regarding finances and insurance, legacy and football programmes based on and around the FIFA World Cup™, environmental protection plans and an array of proposals for an extensive programme of competition-related events.
On the eve of the handover ceremony in Zurich, the Russian Bid Committee will hold a media briefing regarding the bid book in Moscow on Thursday, 13 May 2010. The briefing, which will also be led by First Deputy Prime Minister Shuvalov will take place at RIA NOVOSTI News and Information Agency office at 4 Zubovsky Bulvar and start at 10.30 am Moscow time.
The next milestone for the bid is the inspection visit, when a delegation of FIFA experts will visit Russia from 16 to 19 August. FIFA will designate the host nations for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments at a special meeting of the Executive Committee on 2 December 2010.
Note to the editors: As per the FIFA schedule, Russia is slated to hand over their bid book documentation from 14.45 to 15.00 CET, followed by 15 minutes of media activities in the mixed zone at the Home of FIFA. The Russian Bid Committee will be arranging for free television footage and pictures covering their presence in Zurich. Details will be announced by way of a separate media advisory. Additional information can also be obtained via the Bid Committee’s International Media Coordinator as referenced below.
For more information:
Russia Bid Committee for the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup™
Julia Cooper, Communications Manager Phone: +7 495 660 49 80
E-mail: [email protected]
Andreas Herren, International Media Coordinator Mobile: +41 (79) 799 0046
E-mail: [email protected]
