Staff report: CAIRO, May 23, 2018 - The State Information Service (SIS) said Wednesday press centres have been established in the cities of Kaliningrad, Kazan, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saransk, StPetersburg, Sochi, Volgograd and Rostov-on-Don, under the sponsorship of the International News Agency "Rossiya Segodnya", in coordination with the bodies concerned in Egypt, as part of preparations for the World Cup 2018, set for June 14 to mid-July. In a statement released on Wednesday, SIS said the centres would be equipped to receive media people accredited by the International Football Federation (FIFA) including independent journalists and bloggers who would cover the international event. The statement said the Moscow press centre would open on June 4 and other centres would start operating as of June 13. Russia's largest information agency, Rossiya Segodnya, has launched a hotline for the host city press centres for Russian and foreign media, which will operate until the end of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on July 15. Journalists will be able to ask questions in Russian and English about accreditation at the host cities' press centres, as well as about the centres' hours and available services, 24/7. Accreditation through the host city press centers, which are designed to help journalists who cover cultural and sporting events during the World Cup matches, is available at the website footballcitymediacenter.ru For questions in Russian and English about accreditation at the host cities' press centers, as well as about the centers' hours and available services 24/7 call +7 (495) 645 6433; +7 (495) 645 6434.
