Luzhniki Inaugurates a New Season
Following the
opening of the national football championship of Russia, Luzhniki, which is the
main sports stadium in this country, has started a new spring-summer-autumn
season. In an interview devoted to the occasion, heads of this sports complex,
with General Director Vladimir Alyoshin at the head, told newsmen about their
plans for the coming, busiest season of the year.
The Grand Sports
Arena where football matches are played is the object of the stadium’s special
pride. Vladimir Alyoshin recalled the 1960s, the times when the football arena
attracted up to 70,000 spectators. Members of the Luzhniki personnel intend to
do their best to attract as many football fans as possible. For this purpose
maximum facilities will be provided, including special areas and seats intended
for non-smokers.
Incidentally,
this year nine top-class football fields have been prepared at the stadium.
Synthetic covering of the third generation will be used experimentally.
A Children’s
Township is waiting for young athletes; sports facilities for mass physical
fitness pursuits and for summer sports have been opened.
Apart from football, the busy competitions program for the
new season includes such tournaments as Youth Games of the CIS and Baltic
States, the European Table-Tennis Championship, the Mayor’s Equestrian Cup.
By the end of the
year the clothing-and-footwear market, now functioning on the territory of the
stadium, will have been transferred to the nearby round-the-year fair.
The meeting of
the sports complex’s leading personalities with Moscow journalists has shown
that as before Luzhniki is one of the most favourite haunts of active
recreation for Muscovites.