Sergei Sobyanin opens renovated Bitsa Equestrian Center
After a massive restoration, the Bitsa Equestrian Center opened its doors to visitors.
“The Bitsa Olympic Complex is probably known to all Russian equestrians. A large number of Russian and world champions used to attend it. But unfortunately, it fell into disrepair and was poorly adapted for sports and recreation activities, so this entire huge equestrian center was set to be radically reconstructed. The Bitsa center is now reborn. Sports facilities have been renovated, new buildings have been erected, historic buildings have been carefully restored and repaired. The city, citizens and athletes got a first-class well-equipped sports facility next to Bitsa Park, which, by the way, has also been fully restored and landscaped last year,” Sergei Sobyanin noted when taking a tour of the renovated center.
The Moscow Mayor wished the Bitsa team a happy housewarming, talked to athletes and coaches and rode a horse named Escudo. Using a Moscow Government subsidy, the school has purchased the Czech Warmblood.
Vladimir Beletsky, the head coach of the Russian equestrian team, showed the Moscow Mayor around the renovated arena. According to him, the center meets the highest sports standards with its specialized surfaces and humidity parameters. The Bitsa center has always been a model, everyone was waiting for its opening,” said Vladimir Beletsky.
Master of Sports of Russia Alla Subbotina, who has been working at the center for many years, says that the center used to look dilapidated. “Now we see how the Bitsa center has changed. A high-profile arena with excellent surfaces for horses has been built,” said Alla Subbotina. Coach Tatyana Kharlamova added that the large wooden arena got more air and light. “It helps horses breathe easier and makes children feel more comfortable,” she said.
History of the Bitsa Equestrian Center
The Bitsa Equestrian Center is located in Chertanovo Severnoye next to Bitsa Park (Address: 33 Balaklavsky Prospekt). It was built for the Olympics, which took place in Moscow in 1980, to hold competitions in modern pentathlon and three Olympic equestrian sports: show jumping, dressage and triathlon.
The 46-hectare center is the largest equestrian center in Europe.
It trains more than 540 equestrian, swimming, modern pentathlon, shooting and archery athletes.
Citizens are offered to attend equestrian sports, swimming, basketball, tennis, as well as fitness classes. In winter, pistes and a skating rink are available to visitors.
Since the center opened 40 years ago, it has never been repaired. Its infrastructure was dilapidated: plaster fell off, the walls of the stables and arenas were covered with fungus, the surfaces of the training fields were poorly maintained. Many facilities became obsolete, and their capacity ceased to meet the real needs of equestrian sports.
In June 2017, the facility was transferred to the Bitsa Equestrian Center, the subordinate institution of Moskomsport. Specialists have carried out urgent repairs. In late 2018, Sergei Sobyanin decided to comprehensively modernize the Bitsa Equestrian Center.
The project included the construction of stables, an arena, a ski slope, a cafe, rooms used for storing fodder, as well as major and current repairs of the existing infrastructure: a veterinary hospital, stables, arenas, a sports and recreation complex, a hotel, office buildings, workshops, equestrian sports fields. The area was set to be landscaped, including the renewal of the central square, the construction of children’s, sports and workout grounds, the design of lawns and flower beds, the planting of more than 300 trees and shrubs and the installation of hardscapes and benches. Under the project, modern exercise equipment, equestrian equipment and gym equipment have been purchased. Lighting, a video surveillance system, protective fences and modern integrated security system were supposed to be installed to ensure the safety of employees and visitors.
Construction work began in late July 2019 and was completed in August 2023.
The upgraded center includes:
- eight equestrian sports training and one warming-up field with an area of 37,800 square meters;
- a small arena with an area of 4,400 square meters;
- a 4,620-seat equestrian stadium (Olympic arena) with a total area of 12,400 square meters;
- three indoor arenas and a dressing room with an area of 12,400 square meters;
- outdoor stables with stalls;
- all-season stables with stalls for 337 horses;
- veterinary hospitals;
- a multi-purpose sports hall;
- a 53-room hotel featuring a swimming pool with six lanes of 25 meters each;
- a ski slope with pistes up to five kilometers long;
- a family cafe.
The Bitsa Park area adjacent to the facility features a 1.7-kilometer trail.
The facility is expected to have more than 1,500 visitors per day.
In addition to the training of professional athletes and amateurs, the renovated facility is going to host national and international equestrian sports competitions and shows.
As before, the Bitsa center is to provide hippotherapy for patients with cerebral palsy and other diseases.
Anyone can take one-time classes with an instructor.
In addition, the facility is offering temporary or permanent facilities for keeping horses. Today, all-season stables accommodate 276 animals.
Equestrian sport in Moscow
The capital boasts 27 equestrian centers, including the largest center in Europe, the Bitsa Equestrian Center (33 Balaklavsky Prospekt), the Moscow Youth Equestrian Club in Kuzminki (7 Zarechye Street), the Equestrian Center of the Moscow Modern Pentathlon Academy (1 b 9 th Severnaya Liniya), the Elf Equestrian Club at School No. 109 (137 b Leninsky Prospekt), the Volt Equestrian Center (Ostafyevo Village), the CSKA Equestrian Center (5 Dybenko Street), the Equestrian Center at the Russian State Agrarian University-Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy. The rest of the Moscow stables and clubs are privately owned.
The city hosts more than 150 equestrian competitions every year, including Moscow championships, training school championships, cups, tournaments of the Moscow Equestrian Federation and other competitions.
The Moscow Youth sports association has established five equestrian sports centers. They train 699 people, including 285 athletes attending the Bitsa center.
566 persons have athletic titles, including 436 with mass titles, 31 with the first athletic grade, 75 with Candidate to Master of Sports titles, 19 with Master of Sports titles, 5 with Master of Sports, International Class titles. The facility employs 36 coaches.