Russia World Cup Notebook - Day 8

Iran fans cheer during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group B match between Iran and Spain at the Kazan Arena in Kazan on June 20, 2018. PHOTO | LUIS ACOSTA | AFP

What you need to know:

  • The weather informed the decision to host the Fifa World Cup here at this time, and it has so far worked well for the tournament’s organisers.
  • The electric train averages 47 km/h and has a top speed of 80 km/h. It has stops almost every three kilometres, although some distances between stops are longer.
  • Kenyan tea is known globally for being of the best quality.

Moscow warmer than frigid Nairobi

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The temperature in Moscow Thursday hit 26 degrees Celsius which was way warmer than Nairobi minimum of 13 degrees.

This being the warmest month in Russia, locals here are enjoying the warm weather by spending more time outdoors than they do in any other month.

The weather informed the decision to host the Fifa World Cup here at this time, and it has so far worked well for the tournament’s organisers.

The opening match between Russia and Saudi Arabia at the 81,000-seater Luzhniki Stadium was sold out as has been other matches.

Train travel in Russia utter bliss

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Moscow has an impressive underground railway network called metro or tube. The metro has facilitated quick travel for tens of thousands of fans from one part of Moscow to another before, during and after matches.

A train arrives every three to five minutes and there is no pushing and shoving that is characteristic of the train that operates between Ruiru and Nairobi.

The electric train averages 47 km/h and has a top speed of 80 km/h. It has stops almost every three kilometres, although some distances between stops are longer.

Kenyan tea in Moscow? Not quite

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Kenyan tea is known globally for being of the best quality. The tea is very competitive internationally and so when I saw tea labelled “Kenyan Sunrise’’ in a supermarket in the heart of Moscow, I was eager to find out more about it.

Upon further scrutiny and because I know Kenyan tea, I realized that other than the labeling, the package had very little to do with Kenya.

Somebody must have either used Kenyan tea to blend tea from elsewhere for sale, or the product was just being passed off as Kenyan for commercial reasons.

Army of volunteers running tournament

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There are close to 15,000 volunteers spread across the 12 World Cup venues in 11 Russian cities.

The volunteers are mostly students from Russian universities and colleges but there are also international volunteers.

Dedicated centres at leading Russian educational institutions were responsible for recruiting and selecting applicants living in Russia, while international candidates went through the selection process from their respective home countries.

They are stationed at sub ways, fan zones, stadium gates, and in terraces inside stadiums.