Penza, 29 June 2015. PenzaNews. The acting governor of the Penza region Ivan Belozertsev instructed to create a regional organizing committee for the preparation to the 2018 World Cup in Russia during which some matches will be held in Mordovia, in order for the region to benefit from the large-scale event through development of such areas as hotel service and transportation.

“I was in Mordovia, took a plane from their airport to Samara, met my colleagues. We will have a World Cup in 2018, and our neighbors in Mordovia will be meeting the sportsmen. We know the matches will have a lot of football players, guests from all over the world. It’s easy to see their airport won’t have enough capacity. I know, I was told that Ulyanovsk was ‘shaken up.’ [The governor of the Ulyanovsk region] Morozov, his assistants are working on improving the airport, preparing the hotel system, get involved in the project and offer their services,” said the head of the region during a meeting session of the regional government held on Monday, June 29, adding that he currently sees no such actions in the Penza region.

The region has excellent conditions to meet the competitors and the fans, and a new landing strip in the Penza airport is a great advantage, Ivan Belozertsev pointed out.

“Mordovia will open an international airport to the occasion, and it will most likely remain there. Let’s do something as well, try to ‘dive into’ the World Cup situation,” he suggested.

The offers of hotel and entertainment industries should also be given consideration, added the head of the region.

“We are 130 km away from Mordovia, Ulyanovsk is 240 km away. They are working, and we are just sitting here,” the acting governor added.

Ivan Belozertsev instructed the officials to compile a list of offers for the region and submit them to the competition organization committee as soon as possible.