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Belarus has got final approval of holding the World Hockey Championship 2014. Frankly speaking hockey is really popular in Belarus. You could see a hockey arena in every big city. Evidently the World Hockey Championship is not about the number of hockey palaces in the country. It's a great honor and responsibility. In fact the preparations started a while ago. Minsk is famous for its safety, friendly and tolerant people but there is much to do to get ready for such big time event as the World Hockey Champ.
1. Accommodation
Obviously there are not enough hotels and apartments for rent to provide all the hockey players and fans. Today there is a number of new hotels being constructed in different areas of Minsk. Some hotels are being renovated to the high European standards. Minsk will get the accommodation for more then 5000 people by 2014.
2. Visa issues
According to the latest news visa system will be simplified during the championship. For the first time in Belarus foreign guests will not need the visa to get into the country. Hockey fans will only need a ticket / electronic ticket to get through the border
3. Transport, infrastructure
Belarusian government is making quick steps to develop the infrastructure in Minsk and make it tourist-friendly. We’ll see new signs and street names in English in 2014 especially in the central area. Several new subway stations will be opened by 2014. Some parks, streets and roads will be renovated and decorated. Another important issue to take care of is the taxi service. There are some problems to fix: no English speaking drivers, some cars are old, cases of overcharging.
4. Prices
In spite of the fact that Belarus invests much in the World Hockey Championship the prices seem to be very reasonable. The average ticket fee is 8-40 EUR, there are no visa fees at all, the official beer of the championship will be sold for 1 EUR per glass and city transport may be free for our guests during the tournament.
So would you bet on Belarus?
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