#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. CSKA captain Semyon Antonov, forward Samson Ruzhentsev, center Tony Jekiri, defender Casper Ware and head coach Andreas Pistiolis arrived in Norilsk today at the Nornickel company’s invitation.
The first point on the army team’s route was the Octyabrsky mine, where the athletes were given an excursion at a depth of 750 meters. The CSKA representatives also took with them the Belov Cup they won a week ago – the main trophy of the VTB United League was at such depth for the first time in history.
After a tour right at the mine, CSKA president Andrey Vatutin, defender Casper Ware and the American’s agent Stanislav Ryzhov entered into a new agreement – one of the red-blues’ leaders will continue to play for the club for at least two more years.
“First of all, I want to thank Nornickel for supporting the team. Special words of gratitude go to the combine’s workers, who always sincerely back us up. We have been to the mine more than once with different club players, and there is no one dissatisfied with such a trip. What they see with their own eyes is impossible to see in everyday life. Everyone is leaving here with incredible emotions,” said Andrey Vatutin, president of PBC CSKA. “Now are going to begin the transfer campaign to form the CSKA squad for the next season by concluding a contract with one of our leaders – Casper Ware. We agreed on everything above, settled all the formalities on the surface and went down underground to sign this agreement. In my memory, this is the first time in basketball when a contract is signed at a depth of more than 700 meters. It turned out to be a beautiful story. We are glad to come to an agreement with Kasper, he fits perfectly into the team, CSKA fans love him very much. The agreement is for two years. We hope that the place where the contract is signed will bring good luck to both Ware and us. Ideas for next contracts? I think the capabilities of the mine, its size will allow us to sign all 12 contracts in beautiful places at different depths. We will continue to dream together with Nornickel and look for new opportunities to popularize basketball and our cooperation. We don’t plan to stop at a depth of 750 meters!”
PBC CSKA defender Casper Ware, in turn, said that the mine is the most unusual place he has visited in his life:
“I’ve experienced incredible emotions, I’ve really liked it. I couldn’t even imagine how big the mine is inside! This is a real city: cars drive there, life is in full swing! I will never forget these moments, it is very impressive. To be honest, when I first heard that I would have to descend to a depth of 750 meters, I was somewhat scared. I even asked: “Is this really safe? Will everything be OK?” But they reassured me and explained that all this was being done in compliance with the necessary precautions. And it was worth it! Well, the fact that during such an excursion I also signed a new contract with CSKA makes the trip even more valuable. This club has become a real home for me, so now I am impressed by two things at once – the new contract and the visit to the mine. CSKA for me is more than a club, it is a family, not only the coaches and players, but also the entire staff. This is a place of power, a club of winners, where everyone wants to go forward and win, and I am glad to remain a member of this family!”
As part of the trip to Norilsk, the CSKA players have a number of other events planned – they will hold several master classes, and after that they will play in the Polar Star Game, the teams of which will be represented by Nornickel employees. They will also be accompanied by famous Russian basketball players – bronze medalist of the 2012 Olympic Games in London Anton Ponkrashov, silver medalists of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo Olga and Evgenia Frolkin and ex-basketball player of the Russian 3×3 national team Viktor Pavlenko.
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Text: Maria Ivanova, Photo: Roman Kruchinin
