The Vodnik Stadium, long in need of renovation, was unexpectedly closed to visitors.

      Imagine: every morning you run along your favorite track at your beloved stadium, and at some point, as usual, you go out to get some exercise in the fresh air, but the gates are closed and there’s nowhere left to run. That’s what happened to the regulars of the Vodnik stadium in Nizhny Novgorod.

      A people’s landmark.

      “An inspection revealed that the sports club building, the football field, the running tracks and the stands are in a state of significant wear. In connection with the declaration of the site as unsafe, all access to the stadium has been closed since August 29 and security will be tightened further,” reports the city administration.

      The sports facility has been popular with residents since 1937. Active people are no fewer now (there is even a social media group dedicated to the stadium: “Vodnik Everyday”). Undoubtedly, everyone who has been on the territory of the “stadium grandpa” has seen its condition — it has long left much to be desired. But most importantly, Vodnik is the only people’s stadium, as locals put it. It still hums with life and sport. Every day people run, play football, and stroll there. The location of the facility also contributes to its popularity; sometimes Vodnik becomes a key point on a route or a “transit passage” on the way to attractions. And Vodnik itself is a cultural site. Just recall the film Zhmyurki, in which it made an appearance, or the fact that for some street artists it is a debut “canvas.”

      The news of Vodnik’s closure genuinely shocked many, since the announcement of its unsafe condition appeared after the fact, already on the closed gates.

      “The area around the stadium has long since become outdated; its development and transformation require a comprehensive approach. You cannot just refurbish the football field and the stands — it is necessary to create a new urban space where children and adults can do sports in modern conditions,” said Ivan Kargin, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

      Recall that projects to renovate Vodnik have been in the works for a long time. One of the latest, in February this year, was to include it in the comprehensive territory development plan.

      Active local residents are still not satisfied with the response, because although the issue of closing the stadium had been discussed for a long time, the decisive decision was not put up for public discussion and the people who used it were not warned. One can read many comments about this on the web.

      Where to run?

      The Vodnik sports school operates at the stadium. Its students were gradually transferred to other institutions, in particular from the athletics, triathlon and rugby sections, because Vodnik did not have the necessary equipment.

      “As for the kids who will have to move to other sports facilities, we are in close contact with parents to promptly explain all the changes and provide support,” reports Anton Ermakov, Director of the Department of Physical Culture and Sports of the Nizhny Novgorod City Administration, on the mayor’s website.

      If the issue with children is being resolved, what about adult runners? And in a situation where there is not yet a reconstruction project for the stadium, the question inevitably arises: was it closed too hastily?

      “At present, the Institute for the Development of the Nizhny Novgorod Agglomeration is actively working on creating a master plan for the development of this territory. The document will be published after all necessary technical and economic calculations are completed. The main goal of further development is to preserve a sports facility on this site that will be available for children’s activities,” reports the Nizhny Novgorod administration.

      “Farewell posts” to the beloved stadium are already appearing on social media, but there are proactive residents who are not ready to part with Vodnik. Particularly active is the former stadium director (he held the position from 2005 to 2010) and current coach of the Kosmos football team, Alexey Kormakov, who opposes the complete closure of the sports facility and proposes, on social networks, solutions to the “emergency situation” through phased reconstruction, giving people the opportunity to continue visiting the sports arena. With a group of like-minded people he appealed to the mayor’s office with a proposal to consider this option.

      Meanwhile.

      The skepticism is understandable.

      A meeting was held at TOS “Gorkovsky” at 4 Volodarsky Street between representatives of the Nizhny Novgorod administration and local residents — community activists, athletes and pensioners. Participants discussed questions about restricting access to the Vodnik stadium, declared unsafe, creating comfortable detour routes for local residents, and the future development of this space.

      By decree of the Nizhny Novgorod administration, Vodnik was declared unsafe and subject to demolition, and access to it was therefore closed. (Decree No. 9804 was published on the official website of the Nizhny Novgorod administration in the “Documents” section.)

      Anton Ermakov, director of the Department of Physical Culture and Sports, emphasized that with the suspension of training at Vodnik, all conditions were first created to ensure a comfortable transition for students of the Vodnik sports school to new sites.

      “We worked with the parents of the sports school pupils. It was necessary to organize conditions for nearly 500 children to train. The decision to close the stadium was made in order to develop this territory in the future. Now our task is to ensure safety due to the site’s unsafe condition,” he said.

      Leonid Streltsov, Deputy Head of the Nizhny Novgorod Administration, explained that according to the expert report, all infrastructure is in an unsafe condition, and even if some objects may seem visually reliable, the experts’ conclusions indicate otherwise.

      “Moreover, for example, it is not possible to access the tracks or the football field separately while bypassing the unsafe objects. The stadium is, first and foremost, a municipal sports facility,” Leonid Streltsov responded.

      As added by Alexey Rybolovlev, head of the Nizhny Novgorod district administration, a scheme for bypassing the stadium’s territory with improved walkways has been developed for residents’ convenience.

      Answering participants’ questions about the master plan for developing the territory and whether the timing for its completion is known, Leonid Streltsov, citing the Institute for the Development of the Nizhny Novgorod Agglomeration, said that “the master plan is tentatively expected to be approved by the end of 2025. Adjustments to the timeline that would shorten it are possible.”

      Residents were also told that several key points can already be identified. “According to the master plan, construction of a physical culture and wellness complex with a covered ice arena, a year-round football field and multifunctional courts is planned. It is expected that sports and community facilities will be available for year-round training of schoolchildren, club members and youth sports schools,” Anton Ermakov said.

      At the end of the meeting, Artur Shtoyan, Director of the Department of Social Communications and Youth Policy, stated that the creation of a Public Council for the Vodnik stadium is currently in its final stages; it will include local residents, Nizhny Novgorod athletes, the sports school coaches and active parents.

      Nevertheless, as reported on the Nizhny Novgorod administration’s website, following the meeting local residents said that some of them remain skeptical, although they are “all for” finally bringing the stadium into order after many years of promises.

      “The skepticism of certain people is understandable. But I think the majority are still inclined to be positive,” believes Tatiana Fomicheva, chair of the Gorkovsky neighborhood TOS.

      Alexandra Pospelova. Photo by the author.