Minsk dwellers not allowed attending “free” hockey game

Instead of giving tickets to anyone who wanted to attend the game, complimentary tickets were handed out to directors of enterprises.

A viewer of charter97.org decided to share a story about an unpleasant situation he faced during the Christmas Ice Hockey tournament.

“I am not really a hockey fan, but I decided to look a hockey match after work, just to kill time. On January 6 I watched Belarus – Switzerland game, and on January 7 it was a final game of Russia and Belarus, it was impossible to miss. Before I went to the game, I read on the internet that admission to all games was free.

Well, I arrived to Chyzhouka – Arena at 6.30 p.m. There were lots of people there: there was a concert in support of the match, people were having fun, dancing.

I asked people about the situation, how to enter the arena to watch the match, they confirmed that admission is free. We stood in a queue. We were standing in the queue for about 20 minutes, and finally people were allowed to enter. Suddenly people started to go out. A guard told us that he would not allow people enter, as only viewers with complimentary tickets could enter. We asked why it was written on the web the admission is free. The answer was, that been a mistake of organisers, they apologize, and now disband and go away, there is no use in standing there.

As a result, we went to search for tickets. We walked around Chyzhouka – Arena, but all ticket offices were closed… Finally, we had to watch the game on the screen in the street. At 7.30 p.m. I entered the building of Czyzhouka – Arena, and asked one of its employees, where tickets could be found. He answered that there were no tickets, and they had not been received by ticket offices. Well, I saw a girl working there, and came up to her – she told me that there were no tickets, but complimentary tickets had been handed out to directors of enterprises.

So we returned home, without having watched the game, which we had been watching in the street, to the end,” he said.