Moscow spends some $6 million on Eurovision
Moscow has spent some 200 million rubles ($6 million) on organizing the Eurovision Song Contest to be held in the capital May 10-16, Deputy Mayor Valery Vinogradov told journalists on Thursday.
Vinogradov said that funding had come from both the federal and municipal budgets and had been spent on transportation, advertising, security, and venue layout and design, where the semifinals and finals are to be held, as well as on volunteers. Other expenses have been spent on the opening and closing ceremonies, leasing the stadium and merchandising.
Representatives from 41 European states plus Israel will take part in the competition, which will be held at the Olimpiisky indoor arena in downtown Moscow.
"There are many expenses that were not included in the budget," Vinogradov said, adding that the song contest is "a very expensive event, but most important a very image-making" event.
Vinogradov also said that over 2,000 Russian and foreign journalists would be attending Eurovision and that two hotels had been set aside for them.
"Over 5,000 officers from law enforcement agencies and about 3,000 security guards from private security firms will be involved in maintaining public order and security every day," Maj. Gen. Nikolai Trifonov, the deputy chief of the ministry`s public security department, said on Tuesday.
Moscow won the right to host the event for the first time after Russian pop singer Dima Bilan took first place in last year`s Eurovision, held in Belgrade, with his song Believe.
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