Located in the bend of the River Moskva in the Khamovniki district of Moscow is the Luzniki Olympic Complex. The name Luzniki derives from the Russian word for meadows - luga. The complex's history goes back to 1956, when the area was developed with the construction of the Central Lenin Stadium (renamed the Grand Sports Arena in 1992 although usually just referred to as Luzhniki Stadium), the Small Sports Arena, the Palace of Sport and an Olympic swimming pool. The complex was used as a venue of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games and today the complex remains a sporting venue; it is the home stadium of Spartak Moscow and it is due to be the venue for the final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Concerts are also held here including some of the biggest names in music.

Statues

In addition to the sporting infrastructure, the complex is also made more pleasant with parks and various statues. As is only to be expected a statue of Lenin has stood outside the stadium which once bore his name since 1960. More relevant are statues of the footballers Nikolai Starostin, Lev Yashin and Eduard Strelstov which adorn the complex's Alleya Slavy (Glory Alley). There is also a memorial to fans who were crushed to death at the stadium in 1982, a monument dedicated to climbers, more abstract sculptures representing the Earth and Water and a monument in the shape of an Olympic torch with a statue of the Moscow Games' mascot - Mishka the Bear.

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