Where can I host The International 2023 in Minsk – two hockey arenas, a chamber hall and a stadium

On March 31, the Belarusian Federation of e-Sports announced that it had submitted an application to host The International 2023 in Minsk, and the Ministry of Sports and Tourism of Belarus agreed to help the organizers. Cybersport.ru will tell you about four suitable Minsk venues – from the standard sports arena to the open stadium and even the theater stage.

Ideal option – Minsk Arena

Minsk Arena is a whole complex of venues for sporting events, but the central place in it is occupied by the hockey arena, which hosts home games of the Continental Hockey League Minsk Dynamo.

The arena is the fourth largest in Europe – its capacity is approximately 15 thousand people. Even more spectators can only accept hockey venues in Cologne, Prague and Bern. The creators of the arena assumed that not only hockey games would be held on it – for restructuring for any event, the staff will have enough days.

Since 2010, when the arena was commissioned, she managed to host several major concerts, including Junior Eurovision. In addition, in the immediate vicinity of the site there is a large shopping center where tourists can purchase everything they need, as well as hotels of any price category, from simple hostels to five-star apartments.

Minsk-Arena has already established itself in e-sports. In January 2016, she hosted the StarLadder i-League Season 13 LAN finals in CS: GO and Dota 2. It is noteworthy that the current leadership of the Belarusian Esports Federation was involved in organizing that tournament, which also applied for The International 2023. So, local viewers already had the opportunity to evaluate the quality of the department.

Alternate option – Chizhovka Arena

If the Minsk Arena option is not suitable for the dates, there is an alternative venue in Minsk, which, although with certain reservations, is suitable for The International 2023. The Chizhovka Arena was built in 2013 for the World Hockey Championship in Minsk – it is able to accommodate almost 9 thousand spectators.

Chizhovka-Arena, like Minsk-Arena, has all the necessary equipment for organizing high-quality broadcasts. For players and visitors, it also has all the amenities, as in any major hockey arena. In addition, it is located next to a large park and reservoir, where guests of the Belarusian capital can relax with barbecues and gazebos away from the bustling city.

Another question is that next to the Chizhovka Arena there is only one hotel. This significantly complicates the logistics. However, if the organizers nevertheless choose this venue, the city authorities will probably be able to arrange transfers to the venue. In any case, this happened at all major sporting events in Minsk.

Chamber format – Palace of the Republic

It is unlikely that Valve will decide to return to the format of The International from 2012 and 2013 – the tournament was then held at the Benaroya Hall Theater. However, if this happens, then here Minsk is able to provide a platform suitable for all points – the large hall of the Palace of the Republic.

It seats up to 2.7 thousand spectators, which is 200 people more than Benaroya Hall. For teams, it has separate balconies and lodges. It is located in the very center of Minsk. As in the case of the Minsk-Arena, all the necessary infrastructure is located near the site: on October Square, where the Palace of the Republic is located, there are two metro stations (on both branches of the Minsk metro) and a screen with large space. Those who did not have time to buy tickets will be able to gather there and watch TI together.

Open area – Dynamo stadium

The Valve city search ad for The International 2023 requires an enclosed area. But if Valve changes its mind and approves the idea of ​​moving to an open stadium in conditions of high demand for tickets, Minsk will be able to cope with this by providing Dynamo Stadium for the tournament, which was reconstructed in 2018. Its stands can accommodate up to 22 thousand people, but if you place seats on the treadmills and the field, then the platform will be able to receive even more spectators.

On the territory of the stadium there are food points and recreation places where you can organize a zone for watching streams. Dynamo, like the Palace of the Republic, is located in the city center – just a ten-minute walk from the central station, which will be a pleasant bonus for tourists, and the organizers will simplify the logistics process.

However, this option seems the least likely. The fact is that if you choose between open stadiums, then in the CIS and Europe you can find as many alternatives as possible for Dynamo – more spacious and more suitable for such events. However, the experience of previous TI shows that Minsk has something to offer the tournament organizers. And if Valve decides to host The International in the CIS, then on some points the capital of Belarus looks even more profitable than other cities in the region.