Penza, 5 October 2017. PenzaNews. The official trophy of FIFA World Cup 2018 was delivered to Penza on Thursday, October 5.

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Honorary citizens, representatives of professional clubs including football players of Zenit and Laguna-UOR, young members of regional sports clubs and athletes, in particular, beginning hockey players of the Diesel club were among those who one of the first received a chance to see the trophy in the building of the regional government.

All those who had already taken seats by the moment when the trophy had to be brought in were asked to leave. A part of the area where the trophy, which was hidden behind a velvet cloth, had been installed on a pedestal was enclosed. No one except the organizers could get into the area.

At the beginning of the ceremony the song "Heroes of Sport" was played.

Then, the governor of the Penza region Ivan Belozertsev turned to those present saying that football was one of the most vibrant games that were in a great demand.

"The Penza region is not directly connected with the World Cup," he said reminding that the construction of a training ground for one of the teams that would participate in the championship was underway.

Ivan Belozertsev thanked the organizers for the fact that the trophy had been delivered to Penza even though it had not previously been planned.

"It is a great event for us, for people who love football, for the youth, for veterans," he emphasized.

Felicity George, official representative of FIFA, also greeted the people present. She said a few phrases in Russian, after which her speech was translated.

"This year, we have developed the longest route. We are visiting 25 Russian cities and over 50 countries of the world," she specified.

According to Felicity George, the trophy's tour lets many people feel involved in the world event and motivates them to play football.

Then, a speech was given by the official representative of Coca-Cola Oleg Piletsky, according to whom it was necessary that as many people as possible saw the trophy.

"We wanted that you, Penza residents, had a chance to see the trophy with your own eyes. [...] The role of the trophy cannot be overestimated," he said.

Then, the three of them removed the cloth that hid the trophy of FIFA World Cup.

Oleg Piletsky presented the governor with a miniature copy of the trophy, which was handed over to the museum of the head of the region.