The 2018 FIFA World Cup was fabulous, from the spectacular first-game success by the host nation’s team to the final whistle win for France. The score was France 4 / Croatia 2, but in truth there were no losers, rather a collection of winners: Russia, for staging one of the very best organized World Cups in recent years; the 32 competing national teams who all played at the very highest level and every one with reason to be proud; the Russian national team who initially everyone initially dismissed as a no-hope team to one that came within a whisker of competing in the final; the hundreds of thousands of fans who traveled from around the world and who often partied into the night mixing and mingling without incident.

Directors Alina Kuznetsova and Natalia Toponar of Kalinka International DMC and their team worked tirelessly 24/7 for four weeks operating events and incentive travel programs to the various stadiums in Russia where the matches were played on behalf of groups from around the world, from Argentina to Saudi Arabia and everywhere in-between. “We’re exhausted but exhilarated to have been part of such and amazing event”, said Alina. “It’s been a crazy month of work 24/7, but it’s been so exciting and so rewarding to be part of such a great and important event. The atmosphere in the whole country, and especially in Moscow, has been amazing with everyone, soccer fans and not-so-much soccer fans all joining in the fun regardless of culture or language. I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished”, she concluded.

And the month-long event ended as it started, with yet another memorable moment, the superb sporting gesture by Russian president Vladimir Putin, Croatian president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and French president Emmanuel Macron standing together in a sudden heavy rainstorm giving heartfelt hugs and congratulations to all the players, regardless of which team they were on – a moment appreciated by everyone and maybe a life lesson? If 32 nations can compete aggressively and at the highest level and the leaders of the host, winning and losing nations gather together in peace and harmony and perhaps most important of all, with mutual respect, at the conclusion, then why not in life? All of us?  The 2018 FIFA World Cup was in every respect the very best of the beautiful game!