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(Last updated: 24 Jul 2012)
Trends and opportunities
The market
Sport in Russia is again becoming a national priority as the country seeks to renew the proud sporting traditions of the past. An increasing number of visitors are attending sporting events, the number of sports TV shows is on the rise, and financial support for sports and sporting-related events is growing.
Starting in 2013, Russia is embarking on a ‘golden decade’ of sport as it hosts many of the world’s most prominent sporting events:
- 2013 University Games in Kazan
- 2013 Athletics World Championships in Moscow
- 2013 Rugby World Sevens
- 2014 Winter Olympics
- 2015 FINA Aquatics World Championship
- a new Formula One Grand Prix starting in 2014/15
- 2018 FIFA World Cup
These projects present tangible business opportunities for Australian companies with world-class products, technologies and expertise.
Sport has become a highly visible part of Russian life. The number of Russians who regularly practise some form of sport increased to 25 million in 2010, representing 23 per cent of the population in 2011. The Russian Government aims to increase to 25 per cent in 2012 and ambitiously seek to have 42 million people practising sports by 2015.
Being the biggest country in the world in terms of territory extension, Russia offers a striking variety of landscapes and weather conditions. From swimming and water sports to skiing, this variety creates diverse opportunities for professionals and amateurs in numerous sportive disciplines.
2013 University Games in Kazan
Kazan, capital of Tatarstan Republic, is one of the oldest cities of the Russian Federation and has unique multi-national historical and cultural heritage.
The University Games will take place 6–17 July 2013. More than 12,000 athletes and delegations members from 170 countries will compete. In addition, 1,500 mass media representatives and about 100,000 tourists, fans and spectators from all over the world are expected to come.
Kazan has finished building 64 venues and existing facilities. The University Games Village, which was finished in 2011, covers 38ha and comprises three clusters, including residential buildings, an entertainment complex, halls for religious worship, transport dispatch and logistics services, athletes' dining halls, a media centre and the largest concert hall in the region.
Opportunities for Australian companies include:
- event management services
- training
- marketing and participation programs
- overlay
- legacy
2013 IAAF Athletics World Championships in Moscow
The 14th Athletics World Championships will take place 10-18 August 2013 in Moscow. The venue will be Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, which hosted the 1980 Olympic Games and 2008 UEFA Champions League Final.
Approximately 235 million rubles (A$7.7 million) will be spent to refurbish the 78,000-seat stadium in order to have it ready for the World Championships. In July 2011, a consortium of consultants, including Colliers International, Mott MacDonald, ARUP, Populous and IMG, initiated the conception of stadium reconstruction.
Opportunities include:
- event management services
- training
- overlay
- tourism
- image and marketing of Moscow
2013 Rugby World Sevens in Moscow
From 28-30 June 2013, Moscow will host the IRB Rugby World Sevens. It will be the sixth time this event is held.
The main sports venue for this event will also be the Luzhniki Olympic Stadium. Organisers expect this enormous venue will be visited by over 40,000 fans over the course of the weekend.
Russian companies are seeking expertise in:
- design and construction of sports infrastructure (stadia, training grounds)
- security
- consultancy
- ICT
- tourism
- brand image and marketing
- temporary seating
- specialist services for major event management, etc
2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi
The Black Sea resort city of Sochi will host the XXII Olympic Winter Games, which will take place 7–23 February 2014. Sochi is situated in a unique and picturesque location on the sea with the Caucasus Mountains nearby. The Russian federal and regional governments have allocated A$10.42 billion for the development, expansion and hosting of the Games. By 2014, 183 infrastructure facilities will be constructed and modernised in Sochi. These games will be the most compact Winter Games in terms of location of all events, with 11 sporting venues divided into two clusters – mountain and coastal. The clusters will be located within 48km of each other; each will house an Olympic Village.
Russian companies are seeking expertise in:
- event management services
- ceremonies
- training of staff and volunteers
- sports management
- science and nutrition
- technological and engineering systems
2015 FINA Aquatics World Championship in Kazan
The 16th FINA World Aquatics Championships will be held in Kazan in the summer of 2015. The World Championships will take place two years after the University Games. The existing infrastructure of the capital of Tatarstan, the development of its transport system and other developments will prepare Kazan for the World Cup in water sports. Attracting tourists and investment in the infrastructure of the city were the key elements in winning the bid of the 2015 World Aquatics Championships.
Opportunities for Australian companies include:
- event management services
- training
- specialist equipment
- ceremonies
- temporary infrastructure
- overlay
2014/15 Formula One Grand Prix
The Russian Formula One Grand Prix is a new race that is added to the FIA calendar from 2014/15.
The Grand Prix run for at least seven years under an agreement signed with Formula 1 management. The 5.8km circuit, designed by the famous Tilke architects, will include street and trade elements and will integrate with the Sochi Olympic Stadium. The permanent part of the race track comprising 2.2km will be ready to take year-round competition.
The Russian Government has allocated A$187.5 million for this major event. The construction of the track itself will cost about A$191.9 million.
Opportunities for Australian companies include:
- venue and event management services
- specialist equipment
- training and safety
- ceremonies
- overlay
2018 FIFA World Cup
From 8 June to 8 July 2018 Russia will host the FIFA World Cup football tournament. The Russian 2018 World Cup bid presented 13 candidate cities (15-16 stadia) for the tournament. The number will be reduced to 11 cities after the final FIFA decision in September/October 2012. Cities are divided into several clusters: Northern Cluster (Kaliningrad, St Petersburg), Central Cluster (Moscow, Yaroslavl), Southern Cluster (Krasnodar, Rostov on Don, Sochi), Volga Cluster (Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saransk, Volgograd) and Ural (Yekaterinburg).
Opportunities for Australian companies include:
- architecture and urban design
- civil engineering and construction
- infrastructure development
- project management
- training
- event delivery services
- tourism strategy and development
Commercial opportunities exist for Australian companies to deliver specialist know-how, technologies and expertise. Australian firms are respected for their strong track record gained through the involvement in major events from Sydney 2000 Olympics through to the start-of-the-art London 2012 Olympics. Austrade is promoting the proven Australian trade record and capability in this specific sector.
Russian stakeholders are particularly seeking companies with specialist capabilities in the following fields:
- Design and construction of sports infrastructure (stadia, training grounds)
- Training of staff and volunteers
- Sustainable construction (green games)
- Technological and engineering systems integration
- Security, consultancy, ICT
- Sports specialist equipment
- Specialist services for major event management
- Tourism, brand image and marketing
- Experience with Olympic overlay issues
- Temporary seating
- Transportation development (railroads, highways, airports, bridges)
- Urban infrastructure development (hotels, recreation centres, city centre redevelopment)
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