Natalya Sadova became head of the Public Council of the Nizhny Novgorod "Vodnik" stadium.

      September 16, 2025 09:44

      [149]

      Society

      Olympic champion Natalya Sadova has been elected chair of the Public Council of the Vodnik stadium in Nizhny Novgorod. The council’s first meeting was held at the model library on Miinna Street, the mayor’s press service reported.

      The public council includes athletes, coaches, public figures and local residents. Svetlana Shartanova, a resident of one of the neighboring houses who had previously expressed a desire to represent the interests of city residents not included in the council, also took part in the discussion.

      The main item on the agenda was the election of the council leadership. Chair of the City Public Chamber Sergey Gorin proposed the candidacy of Natalya Sadova, emphasizing that the stadium is a sports facility and its council should be led by a professional athlete. Sadova, who is director of Sports School of the Olympic Reserve No. 1 and chair of the regional Athletics Federation, was unanimously supported.

      According to her, the Vodnik stadium, located in the city center, needs large-scale reconstruction. “It needs to be put in order, reconstructed and given a new life in a modern format. And this format, of course, should remain sporting,” Sadova said.

      The deputy chair is Oksana Shlykova, head of the “Football Moms of the Nizhny Novgorod Region” community, and the secretary is Yaroslav Kuchev, chair of the “Healthy Nation” movement.

      Participants discussed the current condition of Vodnik, timelines and plans for its development. Deputy head of the city administration Leonid Streltsov reminded those present that the stadium was opened in 1937 and is now in an emergency condition — more than 90% worn out. According to him, the reconstruction project envisions the creation of a football field with running tracks, sports grounds, an ice arena and halls for various sports. All facilities will remain accessible to city residents.

      Streltsov also commented on visualizations appearing in the media showing residential buildings in place of Vodnik. He emphasized that there is no official master plan yet, and such images are not related to a real project. After the document’s development is complete it will be presented to the Public Council.

      An important topic was organizing transit routes for residents accustomed to cutting through the stadium grounds. Head of the Nizhny Novgorod District administration Alexey Rybolovlev said that two detour routes have been prepared for pedestrians’ convenience, which will add no more than two extra minutes. One goes via Alekseevskaya and Gruzinskaya streets, the other via Volodarsky and Osharskaya streets. In the near future sidewalks there will be widened and staircases repaired.

      To ensure safety at the emergency site, Anton Ermakov, director of the Department of Physical Culture and Sports, reported plans to install fencing and strengthen security.

      Nizhny Novgorod State University professor Sergey Sudyin proposed conducting a sociological survey among city residents to find out how they want the renovated stadium to look. The initiative was supported by all council members. Svetlana Shartanova confirmed residents’ readiness to participate in the survey.

      At the end of the meeting, Director of the Department of Social Communications and Youth Policy Artur Shtoyan proposed holding the next council meeting in one and a half to two weeks. Participants unanimously supported the initiative.

      As a reminder, Vodnik in the center of Nizhny Novgorod was declared unsafe and closed on August 29. Fourteen hazardous structures there are planned to be demolished. It was also reported that a physical fitness and wellness complex is planned for the site of the stadium.

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