Pavel Ushanov is "happy his country is hosting" the World Cup, but in terms of viewing experience, he said that the '02 edition of the tournament in South Korea and Japan was "better," according to Alexei Chernyshov of REUTERS. That is because Ushanov lives in Vladivostok, a city on Russia's Pacific coast and seven time zones away from Moscow. When a late match kicks off in the capital, it is 4am for Ushanov and his fellow residents. The World Cup has "gripped the imagination of millions of people in the European part of Russia." But Vladivostok is one example of "the Russia beyond the World Cup." There are no World Cup matches taking place east of the Ural mountains, which separate the European part of Russia from the "huge expanses that lie in Asia." The nearest World Cup city to Vladivostok is Yekaterinburg, a 7,200km (4,500 miles) "journey by car." But Vladivostok "is not ignoring the World Cup." Fans have "packed" sports bars that stayed open late to broadcast the matches. For Sunday's knockout game between Spain and Russia, all tables at Vladivostok's "Penalty" bar were booked days in advance, "with the only space left at the bar," an administrator said (REUTERS, 7/2).
'POSITIVE REACTIONS': REUTERS' Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber reported local organizing committee CEO Alexei Sorokin said on Sunday that the World Cup has "so far been a success" and that organizers "were receiving positive feedback from participants." Sorokin: "We have had lots of positive reactions from the different teams, fans and delegations. It's going well. For now, things are good." Ahead of the tournament, there were "fears" of "racism and hooliganism." But since the start, there have been "no recorded cases of racism and the fears about hooligan violence have not materialized" (REUTERS, 7/1).
The Kremlin likened scenes from Sunday's celebration to those that followed victory in World War II.GETTY IMAGES
STRIKING RESEMBLANCE: REUTERS' Osborn & Kiselyova reported the Kremlin said on Monday that images of Russians celebrating the host team's World Cup win over Spain on Sunday were "in many respects comparable to celebrations in the Soviet Union after victory" in World War II (REUTERS, 7/2).
