In order to cover the expenditure Kazan Arena will ski… on water
In the summer, a large-scale project Wake Park is planning in the venue Kazan Arena in order to recoup the investments. However, this is a distant prospect
Huge football stadium is looking for ways to compensate the cost of its maintenance due to the 'non-football' projects in some way. The last groundwork — the hydrous Wake Park on the waterfront of Kazan Arena. The investment amount is still under discussion, but principle agreements with the investor have already been achieved and they started discussing the technical side of the project. However, the high cost of the sport itself can prevent the implementation of the project during the crisis. The details – in the report of Realnoe Vremya.
'The green light has been given'
The emergence of a big wake park in Kazan first became known in early February. On 5 February, Ildar Khalikov met with some potential investors, with whom he discussed the establishment of a wake park. However, no detail was disclosed. The press service of the government reported only that the site will be on the territory of the stadium Kazan Arena.
The administration of the stadium didn't tell anything about the project. But Vladimir Leonov, the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sport of RT, revealed some details to Realnoe Vremya. As it turned out, the start has already been given.
'The green light has been given. Today, we elaborate technical side. When the snow melts – we'll see what the water level is,' told the Minister.
The investment amount is still unknown. 'It is necessary to calculate the project cost, because it's quite expensive,' told Leonov. However, he does not disclose the name of an investor company, he just says that 'this company did such projects and still do'.
Does domestic equipment fit Kazan Arena?
The most famous company in Russia, engaged in the creation of a wakeboarding parks and developing their own equipment for them, is Vertigo Sports, based in the city Bataisk of Rostov region. According to the company's website, it designed and fitted 33 water parks and delivered more than 100 cable-tow systems in Russia.
In particular, the company has realized projects in Tatarstan. In 2012, it delivered the equipment to Kazan wake park ProVoda on Lebyazhye lake and Wake Park Dobry Veter in Naberezhnye Chelny on the embankment of river Kama.
Vertigo Sports develops business plans of wake parks. However, as Anastasia Kondrachenko, a brand manager of the company, explained to Realnoe Vremya, Vertigo Sports as an investor or co-investor is not involved in the project and there has not been any request from Kazan recently.
Perhaps, they decided to involve foreign company as a partner for Kazan Arena.
'Anyway, it will be a paid service'
The RT government regards the wake park at the Kazan Arena not as a budget project, but as a part of the stadium business.
'Anyway, it will be a paid service. I visited St. Petersburg wake park. It is quite popular, many people visit it, it is a new trend of extreme sports. So, it will be if an investor is ready to start a project, we will be glad. We will develop the territory near Kazan Arena.
Wakeboarding — a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water, a water skiing analogue. It is quite popular sport among extreme sports lovers in Kazan. In the Republic of Tatarstan there are three wake parks. The most popular one — Kaban Wake Park & Boat at Nizhni Kaban River. Another club is Dulkyn in Otary village, on Lebyazhye lake there is the first reversible hydrous wake park ProVoda.
Despite the availability and diversity of the bases, wake boarding is not quite popular. First, the weather conditions do not allow to do it long enough, only 2-3 months in a year. Second, it is quite expensive and is comparable to mountain skiing.
'Payback? It is our aim'
The wake park should be a project, which will contribute to the payback of the football stadium giant. The construction of the stadium cost 14.4 billion rubles, the return of which is out of the question.
'What is the Kazan Arena? Today, it is a city within a city. We have completed all the content inside of the stadium. Today there is no free space. It has large capacity. It is an example of the formation of the stadiums for the World Cup, because one thing is the football stadium. That is a huge amount of premises, it is the exploitation of stadium. The stadium is not only its building, but also its surrounding territory. This all is supposed to work, it should bring money. Frankly speaking, it's a business. Because the stadium should pay for itself,' told the head of the Ministry of Sport of RT to Realnoe Vremya.
Vladimir Leonov: 'The stadium is not only its building, but also its surrounding territory. This all is supposed to work, it should bring money. Frankly speaking, it's a business. Because the stadium should pay for itself.' Photo: Maksim Platonov
For the past two years, Kazan Arena opened its own restaurant and hotel. Some other projects have already been realized there. However, a payback is a distant prospect. On a question of Realnoe Vremya, Vladimir Leonov told directly:
'It is our aim. Let's see how this season will end. There huge investments had been made. Including this project of a wakeboarding park, which has the potential to appear near the stadium. We have all possibilities for this.'