Russia's inside-out World Cup arena with soaring temporary stands shooting up into the sky has passed its first formal test: it doesn't sway in the wind when filled with fans.
The peculiar venue in the industrial city of Yekaterinburg has attracted its fair share of fascination -- and some ridicule -- heading into the June 14-July 15 football extravaganza. Its two 42-metre-tall (138-foot-tall) extensions at each goal end stand on a mesh of rickety-looking metal poles built on plots of land adjacent to the stadium.
The vertiginous seats at the very top offer fans a direct view of the outer edge of the arena's circular roof.
One side of the stands overlooks a nearby highway.
Russian Premier League security officer Alexander Meytin admitted today that he had some trepidations heading into last weekend's first official test match.
But he stressed that nothing went wrong -- and the stands stood rock solid in place.
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"We had concerns about Yekaterinburg," Meytin told reporters.
"It was the first time we used the temporary stands and everything went well," he said.
"The fans were safely seated and (the stands) did not sway in the wind."
"Nobody complained."
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