Cooler than the new year

Who is going to root for Russia - a report from the Moscow Spectators Registration Center

The Center for Registration of Spectators in the 1st Kolobovsky Lane. Moscow, February 13, 2014

"Hey, Sanek, yes it is cooler than the New Year!" - A tall strong guy in a leather jacket slapped his gloomy comrade with force, which was why he sat down slightly.

They have just left the spectators' registration center, where everyone who wants to go to the Sochi Olympics should get the so -called “fan passport”. The New Times correspondent asked friends what competition they took tickets for.

“Oh, I gained so many things for myself: Biathlon, hockey, Snowboard,” the guy in the leather jacket, who, as it turned out, was Alexey, began to list with enthusiasm. - And Sanek, figure out, will also go to figure skating! ”

“Dancing on the ice,” his friend corrected gloomily.

The trip, according to Sasha and Alexei (both for 26 years, work in a large state -owned company), could have come out very cheap, if not for hockey.

“The final in the sector A, that is, in really good places, 34 pieces were worth it,” said Alexei. - But this is the most expensive competition. But the match for the third place in hockey - only seven pieces, but it was possible for one and a half and two to take the places worse. ”

In total, they spent about 80 thousand rubles each, but this is without accommodation - they will stop at Sochi friends.

“Listen, and let's go with us? - suddenly suggested Alexei. - We will drink champagne and count the medals! ”

The New Times correspondent sighed and politely refused.

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“Firstly, this is forced! Secondly, it is not now to engage in this show show! And finally, I would at all boycott this event! "

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Like people

“Yes, we’ve for ten minutes, put on an emergency gear,” a heavy man in a dark coat got out of a black jeep and slowly went to the door. A thin, fair -haired woman slipped from the driver's seat and, looking around, hurried after. Nearby on the alarm, there are several more cars-Volvo, Mercedes and BMW ... Parking in the 1st Kolobovsky Lane, where the audience registration center is located, is paid.

There are only one of these points in Sochi in Moscow, so by ten in the morning, when the center opens, even a queue of 20-30 people gather.

There are no queues during the day, but people scurry back and forth constantly: young guys and girls (often in couples), inhospitable woodpeckers with boards and enveloped men in suits, well-groomed women in short fur coats, sports guys in blunt jackets ... Boars come on luxurious cars, who have a bag, shoes, scarf, lipstick, and it happens like a tie. The man walking nearby.

“Well, finally, everything was done by people. They came, received, without queues, politely even. Why is it always impossible, huh? " -said an unnaturally tanned girl with a fuchsia bag and in a fuchsia color scarf of her two companions, who looked somehow inconspicuous against her background. Registration really goes very quickly.

The premises of the center are small and dull. Thirteen windows. At the entrance, it gives out a ticket with the number of the Soviet type of aunt, then you need to wait a few minutes until your number lights up in one of the windows. In the windows, young men and girls in the same green jackets. You present a passport and tickets for competitions - you are given a fan’s certificate on a blue strap. That's all.

The center opens at 10 in the morning, by this time the line was going to the door. Moscow, February 13, 2014

The price of the issue

“... Here's another one to go to this“ Rospil ”of $ 50 billion,” came from the steps leading to the registration center.

There, with a fan passport, a pretty blond stood in his hands, next to him - a pretty smiling girl with glasses. The young man muttered, the girl laughed.

It turned out that tickets were presented to them by the company in which they work: Boris - an engineer, and Alexander - the coordinator of projects.

“We have tickets for skiing, freestyle-aprobatika and hockey. I want to go because it's cool! And he does not want to go at all, ”Alexander complained.

"Don't want! We are sent from the organization voluntarily and comprehensive! ” - Boris fiercely entered.

“The company made a gift to us,” the girl retorted. "Can I give you a mountain of hatred and criticism?" “You can,” said The New Times. “Now he will come off,” Alexandra rolled her eyes.

Boris gained full chest of air: “Firstly, this is forced! Secondly, not in our poor state now to engage in this showdown! And finally, be my will, I would generally boycott this event with the whole country! ”

But Boris was an exception. Basically, people went to the center with smiles, as if a gift awaited them there. “I will go to skiing (1200-5000 rubles. - The New Times), women, 30 km. And also on Bobsli (1000–2000 rubles. - The New Times), for the first and second suckers. I am a skier myself, it is important for me to cheer for ours, ”said Anna, 30 years old, a production director of an advertising company. - I will go with my son. The whole trip is absolutely inexpensive, we bought tickets at Aeroflot for 5 thousand rubles, the hotel-a mini-hotel-is also inexpensive. ” Already leaving, Anna shouted: "Good luck to Russia!"

At work, everyone who gathers in Sochi is happy to let go: “They give fuss. They say: of course, go! This is our Olympics! "

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Almost everything with whom the correspondent of The New Times (and this was, as a rule, was simpler, because those who were in the furs and on the Mercedes were eagerly run away), noted that a trip to Sochi for several days was a completely affordable event. They called such figures - 40-50-60 thousand rubles.

True, the majority of the respondents said that they were looking for housing in Sochi for friends-digicons or rented through Internet services such as Airbnb: private traders could be rented from 1200 rubles per day, the apartment-from the hotels-up to 14 thousand rubles for the usual room.

As for the flight, everyone took advantage of the Aeroflot action “Olympics for the Five”: the economy class ticket from February 5 to March 17 from Moscow to Sochi costs 5 thousand rubles. A day from Moscow leaves up to 15 flights.

The author watched tickets for the period from 12 to 23 February: single places remained only in the business class (and this is from 24 to 60 thousand rubles), closer to the twenties were rarely flickered by tickets from 6-8 thousand. However, those who left at the last moment had the opportunity to fly with a transplant through St. Petersburg-from 9 thousand rubles one way.

Our Olympics

Of the fifteen respondents, four said that they were in the public service. “Firstly, this is a historical event, which, having a walking accessibility ... And Sochi, I think, is walking accessibility ... In general, it is impossible to miss this,” said the civil servant Dmitry, 35 years old. “To go to our Olympics is a holy cause for any sensible person who has at least some opportunities.” Dmitry goes to Hockey: "Well, while the trip got into a fifty dollars, and then we'll see."

24-year-old Mikhail-also in the service of the state-said that at work everyone who gathers in Sochi is happy to let go: “They give ruins. They say: of course, go! This is our Olympics! "

The New Times correspondent caught her last hero, already going down in the subway. A man of about forty in a ridiculous fluffy fur hat carefully folded the blue strap of a fan passport to put it in a bag. “For a long time he doubted: whether to go? I read the Internet, ”the man said, introducing himself to Ilya. - I know what they write: everyone was stolen, all around the devastation, and they arranged this Olympics to us. It was very embarrassed to buy tickets. On the other hand - I have a daughter a schoolgirl. What will I tell her? What do we live in a terrible country, right? That everything is so bad here that we even have no right now? Well, really. This is still our Olympics. ”

Photos: Vasily Popov