Sergei Sobyanin describes how business helps to develop sports infrastructure
A new large multifunctional sports complex is set to appear in Moscow. It will be built by investors under a concession agreement with the city. Sergei Sobyanin has written about the project in his blog.
“The Moscow government has for several years cooperated with business through concession agreements. We attract private investment in the construction of roads, social facilities and enterprises. Recently we decided to use this tool for the construction of sports facilities,” said the Mayor of Moscow.
Investors have significant experience in the construction of such facilities. Since 2011 327 sports facilities have been built in the capital, 168 of them, or 51 percent, with funding from private investors. By 2027 it is planned that 101 more sports facilities will be constructed, 91 percent of them by investors.
A multifunctional sports complex, Skolkovo Hockey City, is to be built in the Skolkovo Innovation Center. The investor will provide about 3.4 billion rubles in funding for the implementation of the project.
The complex will include a children’s hockey school and a figure skating school. The complex will be equipped to enable the holding of classes both on ice and in the gym, the practice of technical skills on special simulators, and the holding of friendly tournaments in other team and individual sports.
“Last September, the Skolka school, also built under a concession agreement, welcomed its first students. Skolkovo Hockey City will be located next to the school, so it will be convenient for the children to run to the after-school sports classes once lessons have finished,” the Mayor of Moscow added.
About 10 percent of the total operating time of the sports complex will be allocated for attendance by people entitled to state benefits.
The concession mechanism allows the city and businesses to create infrastructure facilities on mutually beneficial terms.
The ice rink will be built using investors’ own funds, but from the moment of commissioning the sports complex will belong to the city outright. However, the investors will have the right to use the facility during the term of the agreement.
Cooperation with private investors is an important part of Moscow’s development strategy. It guarantees stable economic growth for the city and the creation of important infrastructure for the capital’s residents, including sports, educational, cultural and other facilities.