For every football fan, the World Cup is an eagerly awaited and exciting event. The World Cup brings everyone together under a single national flag with a single goal: to win. This year the setting was the home of the tsars and matryoshka, namely Russia. It was France that triumphed, beating Croatia and achieving two world victories. With the celebrations of the national team and the cup in their hands, the spotlight also turned to the appointment to the spectators in 2022 in Qatar.
Technogym also participated in the World Cup as official supplier of both the Russian national team and the Brazilian national team. For both teams, in collaboration with the athletic trainers, Technogym has developed tailor-made solutions, thanks to a more advanced complete line for cardiovascular training offering strength, flexibility and rehabilitation solutions. Its supporting digital platform MyWellness cloud is able to offer, to each individual athlete, a tailor-made program, focused on products and athletic qualities to train: speed, endurance, power, agility.
The absolute protagonist was the SKILL LINE, a product line designed specifically for athletic preparation and sports performance and composed of SKILLRUN, the treadmill that sets a new standard in athletic performance, SKILLMILL, the only non-motorized treadmill that combines the training of power and speed, durability and agility, SKILLROW the innovative solution for indoor rowing that improves anaerobic power, aerobic capacity and neuromuscular functions and SKILLBIKE, the revolutionary stationary bike designed for athletic performance that allows you to train and improve strength and endurance.
World Cup Stadiums
Day after day during this 21st edition of the World Cup, there have been sports matches in the stadiums of the 11 cities chosen to host the World Cup, all built or rebuilt for the event. Here is a brief overview of all the 12 stadiums seen during the World Cup and the historical and geographical architectural characteristics and peculiarities of each of them.
Lužniki Stadium – Moscow
Born under the Soviet regime and inaugurated on July 31, 1956, it was known as the Central Lenin Stadium until 1992, always the "home" of the Russian national team. It has hosted many sporting events, including the Olympics in 1980, and a large number of concerts, although its use has always been linked to the world of football. Its capacity is 81,360 people and was also used for the Champions League final in 2008. Its restoration in view of the World Cup represented an epochal change given the elimination of the athletics track, present since its origins. It was the scene of the opening ceremony of the World Cup 2018 held on June 14th and the subsequent opening match, but above all the final and prize-giving.
Otkrytie Arena – Moscow
Opened to the public on September 5, 2014, this stadium is the second one used in Moscow and located in Tušino. Its capacity is 45,000 spectators and is the seat of Spartak Moscow one of the two teams of the Russian capital. Starting from the diamond-shaped panels up to the red colour present in every corner of the structure, we can see how this stadium is a celebration of the Moscow team: to make this evident the presence of two statues, one outside and one inside the arena. Outside, in fact, there is a huge statue of the gladiator Spartacus which the team owes its name. Inside, on the other hand, at the edge of the field, is a statue of the four Starostin brothers, founders of Spartak Moscow, a team born of a spirit of aversion to the Stalin regime and a passion for football.
Stadium of St. Petersburg (Zenit Arena)
The stadium is located in the western part of the island Krestovsky in St. Petersburg. Designed to replace the old Petrovkskij stadium and become the "home" of the city's Zenit St. Petersburg team, it stands where once was the Kirov Stadium (one of the largest stadiums in the world with its 100 000 seats) demolished in 2005. It has an expected seating capacity of 67,000 visitors and has been one of the major venues of the World Cup in Russia. In addition to the 2018 World Cup, it will also host UEFA Euro in 2020. The whole work was followed by the Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa who, for the construction of the structure, was inspired by a spaceship. It is regarded as one of the most expensive stadiums built in the world.
Kazan Arena – Kazan
The stadium is located in Kazan, an important commercial and industrial centre and capital of Tatarstan. It has taken the place of Kazan's Central Stadium and since 2013 is the home of Rubin Kazan. It has a capacity of 45,000 seats and is famous for its large LED screen located outside the structure and considered to be the largest in Europe. One of the distinctive features of the Kazan Arena is its multimedia facade, which is one of the largest in the world for a sports stadium and consists of three HD plasma panels of 4,200 square meters. Inside, the World Swimming Championships were held with two swimming pools temporarily installed for competitions, and the Confederation Cup.
Olympic Stadium Fišt - Soči
The Fišt Olympic Stadium was built for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Soči. Specifically located in the district of Alder, inside the Soči Olympic Park, has a capacity of 40,000 seats and was the scene of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics. The structure takes its name from the nearby mountain of the same name and means white head; designed by a British architecture studio, the stadium resembles a snow-capped peak and has been so acclaimed as to appear on a commemorative note of 100 rubles. During the World Cup it was the most southerly stadium geographically, Soči is famous both as a seaside resort, for its proximity to the Black Sea, and as a landmark for skiers, being on the slopes of the Caucasus.
Kaliningrad Stadium (Arena Baltika) – Kaliningrad
It can be considered as the westernmost stadium of the World Cup: the structure is located in the centre of the city of Kaliningrad, capital of the homonymous region between Lithuania and Poland. The stadium was built on the island of October, in the heart of Kaliningrad and the World Cup was the perfect opportunity to renovate the island, which remained empty for many years. After the tournament, an entire micro-district will be built around the stadium, with parks inside and a bank along the Pregolya River. It took more than 12,000 pile-dwellings to build it. Initially, the project involved the construction of a 45,000-place plant, but a decision was taken to reduce capacity to 35,000. Of the other 11 Russia 2018 locations, only the Yekaterinburg Arena has the same capacity. The stadium structure is inspired by the Allianz Arena in Munich and the "host" is Baltika, a team from Russia's Serie B.
Nižnij Novgorod Stadium - Nižnij Novgorod
The stadium takes its name from the city it belongs to and is a structure built specifically for the 2018 World Cup. The stadium is located at the point where the Oka and Volga Rivers flow together, named Strelka, and close to Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, symbol of the city. It has a capacity of 45,000 people and the architectural concept is based on two shades of blue and white, closely inspired by the elements of the Volga countryside. For its construction have been used materials and technologies to ensure accessibility to the entire population and the safety of footballers and fans. At the end of the competition will be entrusted to Olympic Nizhny Novgorod, local team but also to the region that can use it for sporting events and not only. It will be a multifunctional place, with areas dedicated to training, health, fitness and business. The aim is to re-evaluate the Strelka as a destination for walking, tourism and recreation for locals and visitors to the city. The authorities are planning to transform the space around the arena into a park with riverbanks, cycle paths, car parks and new and reconstructed roads.
Cosmos Arena - Samara
Samara, the city where the plant is located, is the sixth largest city in Russia. Inaugurated on 28 April 2018, it has a capacity of almost 45,000 spectators and is also known as the "Sferoid" because of the shell shape of the roof. Its structure also recalls a space base, reflecting the vital role of the city of Samara for space exploration. The stadium was to be built on the island Korovij but another location was chosen because of the lack of connections to the mainland and the impossibility of building bridges. At the end of the world competition will be managed by Krylia Sovetov, local team that plays in the Russian Premier.
Mordovia Arena - Saransk
The Mordovia Arena, also known as Saransk Stadium, was built on the alluvial plain of the Insar River that runs through the city of Saransk and is within walking distance of the city centre and the residential districts. The predominant colours of the structure are orange, white and red. A colour scheme that reflects the traditional art and folklore of the natives of the area. It has a capacity of 44,000 seats and a particularity is represented by the turf that is formed by a land imported from Canada and heated by a plant of 37 kilometres. After the World Cup the structure will be the seat of FC Mordovia.
Central Stadium - Yekaterinburg
It is the largest sports centre in the Urals but one of the smallest in the World Cup. Apart from the Luzhniki in Moscow, this is the only other structure used for the World Cup not to have been built from scratch. The arena is a monument to Stalinist architecture and dates back to 1957. During the reconstruction, the facades of the old western and eastern stands were preserved. The bas-reliefs, the ornamental flower boxes, the candelabras and the sculptures of the footballers of the fifties have also been restored. The structure underwent an intervention to increase the capacity inside in 2007, works that continued until 2011. However, to reach the minimum standards required by FIFA, it was necessary to add external stands that have increased the capacity to 35,000 spectators and that will probably be eliminated after the World Cup.
Rostov Arena - Rostov on the Don
The arena is located on the left bank of the River Don and its location immediately catches your attention. The Rostov stadium, built on the occasion of the World Cup 2018 has a capacity of 45,000 spectators. After the World Cup, the local authorities intend to transform the surrounding area into a sports and health centre: an area dedicated to water sports, an ice skating rink, a handball court and an equestrian centre will be created. These facilities will be open not only to professionals, but also to amateur athletes and students. The stadium is home to the FC Rostov team that in Europe surprised everyone: unexpectedly qualified for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League and defeated Bayern Munich on national soil.
Volgograd Arena - Volgograd
The Volgograd Arena was built on the site of the old central stadium of the city at the foot of the fallen monument Mamayev Kurgan. Volgograd is sadly famous for the battle of Stalingrad, the old name of the city, where it was completely razed to the ground and then rebuilt later. The stadium has a capacity of 45,000 seats and the facade of the stadium looks like a truncated inverted cone. The special way in which the roof of the stadium was built, with cables that resemble the spokes of the wheel on a bicycle, gives the arena a further degree of airiness and spatiality. After the World Cup, the stadium will be the home of the FC Rotor.