Probably it might be a little late given that we are almost approaching the end of the competition but yet again for another year we experienced emotions that can only be associated with Football. 32 teams thrown into the battle, 20 of whom made it back-to-back to the competition with Iceland and Panama, the latest introduction to the tournament as they made their first-ever appearance.
A little bit about the numbers:
1. An interesting fact about this year’s World Cup is that so far it has been the most expensive project ever costing the Russians 14,2 million.
2. The home stadiums of teams like Spartak Moscow, Zenit Saint Petersburg, and CSKA Moscow got a huge refurbishment.
3. Half of the budget was also spent on improving the transport infrastructure of the cities that are hosting the games.
4. The Platov International Airport in Rostov-on-Don was upgraded with automated air traffic control systems, modern surveillance, navigation, communication, control, and meteorological support systems.
5. Remarkably, the Russian Organizing Committee received 177,000 volunteering applications in 6 months and ultimately the 2018 FIFA World Cup has so far engaged a total of 17,040 volunteers and more than 18,000 city volunteers.
That special feeling
The World Cup frenzy had started long before the first whistle. People were decorating their homes, buying their countries’ shirts, making plans with friends and family or hitting down the pub for those 90 minutes as if their lives were about to change depending on the outcome of the then-upcoming games. Really it should be a matter of scientific research as to how despite the differences between nations, everyone is coming together as one. Isn’t that eventually the ultimate goal of the humanity to leave aside everything that separates us and find these common grounds to work together as a fully functional worldwide society? Isn’t that the true spirit of athleticism?
Inside job or maybe not?
The importance and the glory of the World Cup can be traced to the fact that although there are plenty of countries that didn’t make the cut, the interest is still pretty high as if it affects all of us. How come a competition that eventually involves only a small part of the world appeals to the whole world? It’s simple. When a team succeeds, the community comes together. Now imagine that in an international, wider range. Sports, football, the World Cup itself, alone, are not that important. It’s the message they convey and the emotions that cause that ultimately are one of the most important life lessons we can ever be taught.
See you in the final and Spasibo Russia!
About the Author
Theodora Pesmatzoglou
You can always say that I was an unusual kid. My perpetual curiousness from the first day I opened my eyes back in the distant year of 1993, has made me want to explore the world around me, wondering why things work the way they do, who made them work like that and ultimately how I can even make an impact in this world. But how do you even make an impact and more specifically, you make an impact to whom? The entire world or the people around you, those that you consider your world? Did I get too philosophical here? Probably it runs in my blood as I am a Greek.