Grand opening of an ice hockey stadium in Tula

On August 21, a new ice hockey stadium was opened in Tula, with the venue boasting a capacity of 3,000. It was constructed with the support of Gazprom under the "Gazprom Children" program.

Advisor to the Russian President Igor Levitin, Russian Minister of Sport Oleg Matytsin, Gazprom chairman Alexei Miller, governor of Tula Region Alexei Dyumin, first vice-president of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and general manager of the national team Roman Rotenberg, two-time Olympic champion Boris Mikhailov and others all participated in the opening ceremony.

Russian singer Polina Gagarina performed at the event. Alexei Dyumin and Alexei Miller held a ceremonial face-off draw before the Mikhailov Academy - Atlant Mytishchi game took place at the Governor's Cup.

Gazprom chairman Alexei Miller:

- We signalled for this project to begin a few years ago. Today, it opened its doors for everyone. This construction was possible as a result of the governor's great passion for the development of sport in Tula Region.

Governor of Tula Region Alexei Dyumin:

- This is a wonderful event for both Tula and Tula Region. Top level ice hockey is coming to us! This will be a great arena for citizens of our region. I am sure that the best traditions of Russian ice hockey will be on show here.