Mr. Uthaya Kumar, Chairman of Gandiva Motorcycle Club Malaysia and initiator of the Ride to Russia 2018,

Members of Malaysian Bikers’ community,

Representatives of the media,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

It is my great pleasure to be here today and witness the inauguration of Gandiva Motorcycle Club of Malaysia, as well as the flag off ceremony of the Ride to Russia 2018.

We are very much honoured to know that Gandiva Club has initiated this strenuous, but noble ride through 8 countries, covering 16 000 kilometres and taking more than 60 days to complete, in order to pay homage to the upcoming FIFA World Cup to be held in Russia from June 14 to July 15.

It is our privilege to be here today and tell you «Удачи», which means “good luck” in Russian, and “Доброго пути” or “Have a safe trip”.

The countdown to the opening of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia has begun and this event reflects the true and infectious enthusiasm that Malaysia has towards this beautiful game. We are much honoured to know that upcoming World Cup attracts so much attention from many Malaysian educational, media, sports, entertainment and now bikers’ organisations, which eagerly showcase our county’s diversity in many ways.

Thank you for being a part of the titanic work that has been done to make this beautiful dream come true.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The World Cup means a lot to Russia and its citizens. On top of welcoming the finalist nations, and essentially, the World, to 12 stadiums in 11 host cities, Russia gives its guests an opportunity to get acquainted with its diverse culture, centuries-old history and unique nature, experience traditional Russian hospitality and openness. Russia knows how to welcome its friends and I can assure everyone here that you will have a great time visiting our country.

Russia has already made many important arrangements to facilitate the entry of foreign visitors to its territory and to make their stay as comfortable as possible. This includes visa-free entrance to Russia for the whole period of World Cup events and even longer, for those who acquired official match tickets and possess so-called FAN-ID, a document that identifies person as a football fan. In order to make visitors’ travel between World Cup host cities less troublesome and expensive, we provide our guests with free-of-charge public transportation. These are just few of all amenities that Russia has to offer to national teams and football fans.

Football is also Russia’s most popular sport. Around 2.8 million people play football in Russia and many fans will enjoy golden opportunity to see the world’s best footballers like Messi, Neymar, Iniesta, Suarez and Ronaldo up close.

And who can forget about the Russian contribution to global football? Only one goalkeeper has ever won the Ballon d’Or and he was Russian. Lev Yashin – also known as the “Black Spider” – revolutionised the way goalkeepers played with his movement, positioning, reflexes and his contribution to build-up play from the back. Yashin’s success went on to inspire a great goalkeeping tradition in Russia, evinced by the rise of Rinat Dasayev, Stanislav Cherchesov and most recently, Igor Akinfeev, who has very big boots to fill.

Russia has also contributed many memories further upfield, evinced by the life of Nikita Simonyan, Valeri Karpin and Aleksandr Mostovoi who captured global imagination when they played for Celta Vigo in Spain, and today Alan Dzagoev, Denis Cheryshev and Fyodor Smolov, among many others, carry the torch.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I have no doubt that the upcoming World Cup will have an immense impact on the development of football – not only in Russia, but around the world. People will experience what the beautiful game is truly about, lasting friendships will be fostered and fair play will be promoted at every opportunity. Our goal is to demonstrate that these fundamental human values are immune to the constantly changing political landscape in the World and will continue to define sport for decades to come.

All of us in Russia look forward to June. We want the World Cup to be held at the highest level and we are confident that you will enjoy watching the World Cup as we enjoy hosting it.

«Большое спасибо», many thanks to the Gandiva Motorcycle Club Malaysia for joining us in our countdown to a celebration of sport and humanity.

Thank you for your attention.