Translated material
Free for gays only
Mikhail Margolis
(Photo: AP )
What was the world hockey championship in St. Petersburg like? A dubious adventure, a Potemkin village, or a brilliant event held in spite of difficulties? Vice-Governor Vladimir Yakovlev emphasized: “We are entrusted with protecting the dignity of Russia at the highest level. The city, as it should be, is sprucing up for the arrival of guests.” Zenit footballer Alexander Panov noted: “The situation with the roads has begun to improve. Of course, I would like them to be repaired and kept clean even without reason.” The forward of the Slovak national team, Miroslav Shatan, who flew in from Buffalo, exclaimed without unnecessary diplomacy: “I’m amazed! At first I thought that after a 15-hour flight I ended up in Bratislava by mistake. It seems that the same architect who built in our country worked on the new buildings in St. Petersburg 50-70s. And we need to spend more on the restoration of historical buildings. A city with such a rich history should be ashamed." The organization of the tournament itself is also assessed differently. Some people admire the new ice palace. Others point to a detail unthinkable abroad - he did not attract the attention of sponsors at all. The huge four-sided modern scoreboard and all advertising areas of the stadium are pristine. Perhaps the prices were unrealistic.
As are the prices for tickets and souvenirs. There are many of the latter, but they seem to be intended only for foreigners. The “city of fans” built near the arena is the same as at Western tournaments. But anyone can enter these towns for free. In St. Petersburg they demand money for entry and clearly count on numerous Finnish fans. Therefore, in the capital of the Baltic, the foamy Lapin Kulta from the country of Suomi reigns over the town of fans. It’s generally not easy for our hockey fans: for free and without waiting in line, they can only get a local racy magazine that lists the coordinates of available girls and gay clubs. Many, seeing the color cover, believe that this is a new sports publication, and willingly accept the gift from the distributors.
Hockey fans study erotic advertisements in endless queues for tickets. There are apparently not enough cashiers at the championship, but there is an abundance of riot police. Instead of ten ticket offices, they open two and post law enforcement officers to push back the crowd. People are rushing to the cash registers, the police are placing them in a column. Such folk fun. But local (and touring Moscow) speculators are ready to help. They sell out tickets even for slow meetings, where the stands are half empty. Just to avoid standing in line for 3-4 hours.
Those who have already got inside splash out their emotions to the fullest. There is a lot of beer, paraphernalia and rattles too. Fans from all over the world compete in exotic outfits. The Latvians (about 7 thousand of them came) have an astronaut with a flashing light bulb on the top of his head, the Finns have a fan with a life-size cardboard sexy blonde, dozens of Swedes, Swiss and Austrians sport long wigs, the spirit of the Japanese is supported by a samurai with a drum.