A brand bearing on cultural and entertainment pursuits in Moscow, called Arbat, has appeared in the world of sports. Among other things, it sponsored Moscow debuts of two international tournaments – the Rugby League Victory Cup (Rugby-13) and the Arbat Football Cup for juvenile teams.
These
tournaments differ in format. Leading rugby players of Russia, the USA,
Britain, and France–the countries that were members of the anti-Hitler coalition in the past–vied for the Cup
instituted in honour of the Victory in World War II. The extremely spectacular
final Russia vs. France match played at the Luzhniki Olympic Stadium ended in a
victory for the visiting team. Youngsters had their own task to cope with.
Ruling the roost among them was the Smena team of St. Petersburg, who wrested
victory from CSKA in a decisive match. The team representing Arbat, the
tournament’s organizers, finished third.
The two tournaments, two sport fetes in Luzhniki held at
the highest international level, saw illustrious names on the stands and made
the most glowing impressions on their participants. Both competitions
brilliantly reaffirmed their right to be annual fixtures.