Executive Vice President and General Manager Kunlun Red Star Nikolai Feoktistov said the two main reasons for the club’s refusal to move to China were logistical problems and the search for a suitable stadium.
Last season of the FONBET KHL Championship, Kunlun took ninth place in the Western Conference and did not reach the playoffs. The team plays home games in Mytishchi.
— We would also very much like to return to China, everyone is waiting for the return, including our fans there. This year they took the news in a slightly negative way that the club could not move. But once again I am ready to repeat that there are some aspects that are not within our competence.
We are experiencing a current situation, primarily in Russian aviation. It is no secret that every year the issue of logistics for KHL clubs is becoming more and more difficult, that is, finding planes, especially for long distances. If for medium distances you can use the same Sukhoi Superjet (approx. “”). Either on long distances … after such a flight it will simply be difficult to play hockey. There are no conditions for the recovery and rest of athletes before the matches. With all this, we can solve the problem; Chinese airlines can fly. But there are some concerns about how Russian clubs will be able to come and play with us.
There is a second aspect. Everyone wants to return to China, especially to Beijing. And I want to return to the big arena. However, other sports are developing in Beijing; since last year, another basketball team has appeared, which occupied the very empty arena where we were supposed to play. Together with the league, having weighed all the risks, we made a joint decision that for the time being, for objective reasons, the transfer is not possible. But we do not abandon this idea, and next year we will try to move forward, “the correspondent reports, citing Feoktistov’s words.
The new season of the FONBET KHL Championship starts on September 3.
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Source : MatchTV
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