Sheremetyevo welcomed the special visit of The FIFA World Cup Trophy. The main football trophy was presented by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of JSC SIA (Sheremetyevo International Airport) Alexander Ponomarenko, 1990 FIFA World Cup champion Lothar Mattheus (Germany) and Project Manager of the Coca Cola System in Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preparations Mikael Vine.
The ceremony was held in a new Terminal B built especially for 2018 FIFA World Cup. Sheremetyevo staff and volunteers engaged in arrangements for the main football tournament and responsible for hosting guests and participants attended the event and had an opportunity to take a photo with the legendary trophy.
“We are happy to greet both The FIFA World Cup Trophy and honorable guests at Sheremetyevo International Airport. In just a few days, Russia will welcome athletes and fans from all over the world. Many of them will come to Russia for the first time and will begin their acquaintance with our country here, at Sheremetyevo,” said the Chairman of the Board of Directors of JSC SIA Alexander Ponomarenko. “As a great part of the preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, we completed several large-scale projects, including the construction of a new Terminal B and an underground interterminal pass that connected Sheremetyevo-2 and Sheremetyevo-1 complexes for the quick and convenient transportation of passengers and luggage. At the same time, we paid attention not only to the technologies, but also to the interiors. The architectural concept of our new facilities is based on the aesthetics of Russian constructivism. ‘Live’ panels screening major cultural and historical venues and attractions of Russia, are at the heart of the interiors. We understand the importance of meeting and hosting guests and participants of the main football tournament at the highest level. Sheremetyevo airport staff, Moscow volunteers will do everything possible to ensure that guests from all over the world receive a comprehensive service and experience widely known Russian hospitality.”
“The new modern Terminal B, built for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, hospitality and responsiveness of the airport staff and the enthusiasm of the volunteers inspire confidence that football players and fans will be served professionally at the Sheremetyevo airport. You truly deserve to see the main football trophy. I wish success and more victories to come to Sheremetyevo team,” said the FIFA legend Lothar Mattheus.
In addition to the commissioning of new infrastructure objects, Sheremetyevo undertook a set of measures aimed at facilitating the departure/arrival process for guests and participants of the FIFA World Cup.
• To address any inquiries promptly and provide support to the guests of the FIFA World Cup™, special desks for FAN ID cards holders are installed in the arrival hall (international) of Terminals D, E, F. Desks of the Transport Directorate Russia-2018 are also located in the terminals.
• During the Mundial, the customs and border control clearances can be completed directly in VIP-lounges.
• Sheremetyevo together with the Local Organizing Committee Russia-2018 and Moscow’s volunteer center Mosvolonter have finished training course for 800 volunteers, which will provide all necessary support to guests and participants of the championship at the airport.
The original FIFA World Cup Trophy cannot be won outright anymore, as the new regulations state that it shall remain in FIFA’s possession. Instead, the FIFA World Cup™ winners are awarded a replica which they get to keep as a permanent reminder of their great triumph. The gold-plated replica is referred to as the FIFA World Cup Winners’ Trophy.
The authentic, one-of-a-kind FIFA World Cup Trophy is 36.8cm (14.5 inches) tall, weighs in at 6.142kg (13.54 pounds), and is made of 18-carat gold. The base contains two layers of semi-precious malachite while the underside of the trophy is engraved with the year and name of each FIFA World Cup™ winner since 1974. Following the 2014 FIFA World Cup™, the vertical alignment of the champions’ engraved names needed to be redesigned to fit future title holders. The list of world champions since 1974 was therefore rearranged into a spiral to accommodate the names of the winners of future editions of the tournament.