International Olympic Committee : News

Thousands flock to volunteer at Sochi 2014

3/4/2013 9:37:00 AM

An estimated 25,000 volunteers will be involved during next year’s Winter Games, working across a variety of different Games-time operations, ranging from welcoming delegations at the airport to helping to organise the Closing Ceremony.

Approximately 3,000 volunteers will also be deployed around Sochi during the Games to provide a warm welcome to visitors and help them find their way between the Olympic venues. In total, volunteers will account for more than 30% of Games-time staff.

Many of the Sochi 2014 volunteers have already been recruited, with approximately 5,000 gaining experience at the recent World Cup events that have been held at Sochi’s Olympic venues.

The recruitment process is taking place at 26 Volunteer Centres within Russia, while the programme has also helped re-establish the concept of volunteering across the country.

“With the support of the Olympic Movement, a volunteer movement is being revived in Russia, with the Sochi 2014 Games bringing together 25,000 volunteers,” said Sochi 2014 CEO and President Dmitry Chernyshenko.

“When Sochi began the bidding process in 2005, the concept of volunteering simply did not exist in Russia. Now, the volunteer movement is thriving, with a quarter of a million Russians regularly participating in volunteer activity.

“Most importantly, tens of thousands of generous people will have the opportunity to become a part of the Sochi 2014 Games as volunteers. This will be an invaluable experience for them, and one that they will be able to pass on to the future generation of volunteers in Russia.”

The volunteer application process was open to anyone who will be aged between 18 and 80 on 6 January 2014. The Sochi 2014 Winter Games begin on 7 February next year.

Olympic broadcasters gather in Sochi

2/27/2013 12:53:00 PM

Over 200 representatives of international broadcasters have travelled to the Russian host city to view the broadcast facilities that will be available to them during next year’s Winter Games, such as the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), which will be the main hub for television coverage of Sochi 2014.

In May, work will begin on installing equipment in the IBC, in line with the requirements of Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) – the host broadcaster for the Games, which is responsible for international TV coverage production and the provision of services for broadcasters.

Representatives of the International Olympic Committee, OBS and the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee are also attending the meeting, which provides broadcasters with a chance to plan their own Games-time productions.

During the Games, the IBC – which is located in the Main Media Centre – will operate 24 hours a day and is expected to welcome approximately 12,000 media representatives, including more than 10,000 broadcast staff representing over 100 companies from all around the world.

In addition to the Main Media Centre in the Olympic Park, which provides direct and easy access to the Olympic venues in the Coastal Cluster, a second media and broadcast centre will operate close to the Mountain Cluster, where the skiing and sliding events will be held.

Lugers praise Sanki Sliding Centre

2/26/2013 3:49:00 PM

The newly-built trackwinds its way for 1,814m across the northern slope of the Aibga Ridge, near the village of Krasnaya Polyana, and replicates the existing relief of the local area – a layout that impressed many of the World Cup competitors.

"In general, the track is great,” said Germany’s Andi Langenhan, after his victory in the men’s singles ahead of Russia’s Albert Demchenko, which saw him finish second in the overall standings. “You need to take a special approach to do well here."

Austrian Georg Fischler, European Champion in 2011, said: “Keeping the 2014 Olympic Games in mind, today’s race was especially important. I’m sure that we’ll see exciting races next year – with a close result.”

Andris Sics from Latvia, 2010 Olympic silver medalist, added:
The track is very good and has passed its test for the Olympic Games. Despite the rain the conditions were fair for all of us.”

Germany’s Olympic champion Tatjana Hüfner was also impressed by the Sochi venue, after winning the women’s singles race ahead of compatriots Natalie Geisenberger and Anke Wischnewski

"I like the track, it’s got its own rhythm, and you’ve got to feel it,” said the 29-year-old, whose victory saw her finish third in the overall World Cup standings. “I was trying to find this rhythm two days ago at training, and I’ve finally managed to find it, which is really important for me."

The Sochi event also saw Germany’s Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt win the men’s doubles, before teaming up with Hüfner and Langenhan to win the team relay. The team relay event will celebrate its Olympic debut next year in Sochi.

Following the successful staging of the World Cup event in Sochi, many of the athletes are already looking forward to returning to the venue for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, which begin on 7 February next year.

"The track is very nice and difficult,” said Italy’s two-time Olympic champion Armin Zöggeler, who finished fourth in the men’s singles. “It will be interesting to come back here next year."

Sochi successfully hosts FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup

2/21/2013 11:42:00 AM

Moguls, aerials, ski cross and halfpipe competitions were held for both men and women at the Olympic venue, which will host all freestyle skiing and snowboarding events during the Sochi 2014 Winter Games, with many of the athletes praising the newly-built facilities.

"It's got huge potential,” said Canada’s Mike Riddle afterward finishing third in the men’s halfpipe. “I can't believe how amazing it will be for the Winter Games, with moguls, halfpipe and aerials all in the same spot."

The men’s halfpipe was won by 17-year-old American Torin Yater-Wallace, who clinched gold ahead of compatriot Gus Kenworthy, while Switzerland’s Virginie Faivre won the women’s halfpipe ahead of Canadians Rosalind Groenewoud and Keltie Hansen. Afterwards, Groenewoud revealed how pleased she was to have competed well on the Olympic pipe ahead of next year’s Winter Games.

"It definitely gives me a confidence boost going into next year, knowing that I can perform well on this pipe,” she said. “It gives me a little bit of a nugget but I know that I need to really work hard.”

China dominated the aerials competitions at Rosa Khutor, with Xu Mengtao and Qi Guangpu winning the women’s and men’s events respectively, while Canada’s Mikaël Kingsbury won the men’s moguls, with American Hannah Kearney taking victory in the women’s event. Sweden’s Victor Öhling Norberg and Canadian Kelsey Serwa won the men’s and women’s ski-cross competitions respectively.

Rosa Khutor Extreme Park lies to the west of the Rosa Khutor plateau and is located at an altitude of approximately 1,200 metres above sea level. It features specialised courses for ski and snowboard cross, slopestyle, halfpipe, freestyle aerial and mogul competitions and snowboard parallel slaloms.

Snowboarders impressed by Rosa Khutor Extreme Park

2/20/2013 4:04:00 PM

"I think it is the complete package as far as boardercross goes,” said American Alex Deibold, after finishing second in the snowboard cross event, which was won by Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle. “I think this course was a great example for our sport and I hope people will watch next year."

"This is the coolest course we've ever had and they need to have more like this,” added Deibold’s American teammate Nick Baumgartner. “This is the best course; big jumps, that's what we do.”

Competitors were equally impressed by the venue’s halfpipe, which saw Kelly Clark, of the USA, win the women’s event, with Taku Hiraoka clinching gold for Japan in the men’s competition.

"The pipe is amazing; it's just great,” said Kory Wright, of the Bahamas. “It's a lot of fun to ride.”

"There's really like an Olympic feeling here,” added Spain’s Ruben Verges. “The pipe today is almost perfect."

Many athletes, such as American Benjamin Farrow, are already looking forward to returning to the venue for the Sochi 2014 Winter Games.

"I do feel a little bit of Olympic spirit,” said Farrow. “It’s such a great feeling to know that next year I will be back here, and it will be the same thing."

Located at an altitude of approximately 1,200 metres above sea level, the newly-built Rosa Khutor Extreme Park lies to the west of the Rosa Khutor plateau and features specialised courses for ski and snowboard cross, slopestlye, half-pipe, freestyle aerial and mogul competitions and snowboard parallel slaloms.

World Cup stars shine at Sochi Sliding Centre

2/18/2013 11:10:00 AM

The Olympic venue – which is the first international bobsleigh and skeleton track in Russia – saw two-time world skeleton champion Martins Dukurs clinch his fourth successive World Cup title, after the Latvian won the final race of the season ahead of 2013 world champion Alexander Tretyakov, of Russia. Germany’s Frank Rommel finished third.

American Noelle Pikus-Pace finished ahead of her compatriot Katie Uhlaender to win the women’s skeleton race, with Germany’s Olympic bronze medallist Anja Huber finishing third. Huber’s compatriot Marion Thees took fourth place to secure the 2012/13 World Cup title.

The two-man bobsleigh race was dominated by Switzerland’s Beat Hefti and Thomas Lamparter, who took victory ahead of Germany’s Thomas Florschütz and Andreas Bredau, with Latvia’s Oskars Melbardis and Daumants Dreiskens finishing third.

Russia’s Alexander Zubkov and Dmitry Trunenkov shared fourth place with the bob of Canada’s Lyndon Rush to become the overall World Cup champions.

Zubkov also took the four-man World Cup title after finishing third in the Sochi race, with Oskars Melbardis guiding his Latvian team to its first World Cup victory in a time of 1:52.29 minutes – 0.02 seconds ahead of Thomas Florschuetz’s German team.

In the women’s bobsleigh race, Canada’s Kaillie Humphries and Chelsea Valois finished third to win the overall World Cup title, with Sandra Kiriasis and Franziska Bertels, of Germany, topping the podium in Sochi and Elana Meyers and Aja Evans, of USA, finishing second.

The FIBT World Cup was the first major event to be held at the Sanki Sliding Centre, which will stage the bobsleigh and skeleton events during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

The Olympic track – which winds its way for 1,814m across the northern slope of the Aibga Ridge, near the village of Krasnaya Polyana – won praise from many of the World Cup competitors, who are already looking forward to returning to the venue for next year’s Winter Games.

“It’s a really fun track, I really enjoyed it,” said Great Britain’s Elizabeth Yarnold, who finished fourth overall in the 2012/13 Skeleton World Cup. “I am really impressed – the structure of the track is done really-really well. It’s also being covered, which is important for us to know that it’ll be dry and warm. I think the track is fantastic. I can’t wait until the Olympic Winter Games.”

“I really like the track, it’s a very technical, tricky track,” added Canadian skeleton athlete John Fairbairn. “I think it is going to make a really great race in a year. The venue is beautiful, it’s good for the athletes; there is an awesome warm-up area at the top.”

Race winner Valois echoed Yarnold’s and Fairbairn’s thoughts as she said: “I am excited to come back here next year.”

Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games tickets

2/8/2013 9:12:00 AM

To find out how you can apply for Olympic Games tickets, please visit the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee’s ticketing website.

Fans are reminded that only tickets purchased from or obtained through authorised sources are real, valid and will enable entry to venues. Detailed information on authorised ticket sources, in particular a list of Authorised Ticket Resellers (in Russia and internationally), is available on the official Sochi 2014 ticketing website.

Fans having purchased or obtained tickets from unofficial or unauthorised sources run the risk of a) having obtained fake tickets, b) having obtained invalidated tickets, c) having those tickets cancelled, d) being refused entry, and/or e) being asked to leave the venue, without receiving a refund or qualifying for an exchange of ticket.

Neither the International Olympic Committee nor Sochi 2014 nor any National Olympic Committee may be held liable for any consequence (such as, without limitation, any loss or damage) related to a ticket purchased from or obtained through an unauthorised source.

Stunning celebrations signal one year until Sochi 2014

2/8/2013 11:01:00 AM

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, joined by President and CEO of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Organising Committee Dmitry Chernyshenko, officially invited the world’s National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and their athletes to take part in next year’s Games after a stunning ice show saw more than 300 participants re-enact the story of Sochi’s preparations over the last six years.

The performance – which was directed by Olympic silver medallist Ilya Averbukh and featured figure skating stars such as Olympic champions Tatiana Navka, Roman Kostomarov, Alexej Yagudin, Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin – included tributes to the history of the Olympic Winter Games and its athletes, as well as segments highlighting the construction of the new venues in Sochi and the official slogan of the Games, ‘Hot, Cool, Yours’.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Jean-Claude Killy, the Chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission for Sochi 2014, also spoke during the event, which concluded with a spectacular fireworks display in the skies above Sochi, marking exactly one year to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Games on 7 February 2014.

Sochi 2014 tickets go on sale

2/8/2013 10:00:00 AM

Russian residents are able to buy tickets exclusively on the official Sochi 2014 website (www.sochi2014.com), while fans in other countries and territories can purchase tickets from their local National Olympic Committee (NOC) or an appointed Authorised Ticket Reseller (ATR). A full list of ATRs and their contact details can be found on the Sochi 2014 ticketing website (www.sochi2014.com), so that fans can find out more about the ticket sales process in their territory.

The Sochi 2014 Ticketing Programme is one of the largest in the history of the Winter Games, with all tickets for sporting events being sold online on a first-come first-served basis within Russia.

The least expensive tickets will cost approximately 500 RUB (about USD 17), with more than 40% of all tickets set to cost less than 3,000 RUB (about USD 99). In total, around 85% of all tickets will cost less than 9,000 RUB (about USD 297), while it will be possible buy tickets for every sport for 1,500 RUB (about USD 50) or less. Ticket prices for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will start at 4,500 RUB (about USD 149), with the most expensive ticket costing 50,000 RUB (about USD 1,651).

In recognition of Visa's support for the Olympic Games for over 26 years, Visa cards will be the only cards accepted when paying for tickets to the Games.

During the Games, which run from 7-23 February 2014, any remaining tickets will be available from the Sochi 2014 website (www.sochi2014.com) as well as the Main Ticket Centres in Moscow and Sochi and Ticket Box Offices at the sports venues.

Fans have been advised that they should only buy tickets from authorized Sochi 2014 sources in order to avoid disappointment and potentially being refused entry to the venue.

All ticketholders are also required to obtain a Spectator Pass, which, in addition to their ticket, will allow them to gain entry to the event, as well as helping to minimise queues at venues during the Games.

Athletes of the world officially invited to Sochi 2014 with one year to go

2/7/2013 11:42:00 AM

During the event, President Rogge personally delivered invitations to representatives of the NOCs from the host countries of the previous, next and future editions of the Olympic Winter Games (Canada, Russia and Republic of Korea, respectively), in addition to the NOC of the host country of the next Summer Olympic Games (Brazil). All other invitations will be sent by post from the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The ceremony took place at the Bolshoi Ice Palace in Sochi and was attended by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, IOC Coordination Commission Chairman Jean-Claude Killy, IOC members in Russia Vitaly Smirnov, Shamil Tarpishev and Alexander Popov, and the President of the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee Dmitry Chernyshenko.

Accepting the invitations from President Rogge were Canadian Olympic Committee President Marcel Aubut, Brazilian Olympic Committee President Carlos Nuzman, the Chairman of the Korean Olympic Committee’s International Commission, Ji Young Kim, and Russian Olympic Committee President Alexander Zhukov.

“A year before the start of an Olympic Games is traditionally the time we invite the athletes of the world to take part in the Games, which are a celebration of sport, peace and humanity,” said President Rogge. “These will be the first Olympic Winter Games to be held in Russia, and the Russians are eager to welcome the world to the shores of the Black Sea and the mountains of the Caucasus. A spectacular setting with equally impressive venues await those who qualify – the perfect platform on which to compete. I wish all the athletes hoping to compete here next February all the best in their preparations.”

Sochi 2014 Organising Committee President and CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko said, “Today is a milestone day for us. In just one year’s time we will invite the whole world to Sochi and we are eager to help every guest enjoy the best winter Games in history. I believe we are pretty much where we should be at this point in time. All sports venues in the Mountain and Coastal Clusters are almost ready, and the volunteer selection process for the Sochi Games is approaching the finish line. But now is the time for us to really concentrate and to do our best during this final stage before the Games. We need to make sure that every single aspect of our preparations is aligned as we get ready for this historic event. That is why the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee has already moved into full ‘Olympic mode’ by starting large-scale operational testing of the sports venues. We recognise that it will be vital to ensure that we have perfected all the services that we will deliver for the Games.”

The ceremony, which was covered by media from around the world, featured an ice dancing performance directed by Salt Lake 2002 silver medallist Ilya Averbukh and featured a number of Russia’s most well known figure skating stars such as Irina Slutskaya, Tatiana Navka, Roman Kostomarov, Alexej Yagudin, Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin. The show brought together over 300 participants and told the story of the preparations for the Sochi 2014 Games from the moment the city was elected in 2007 to today. The celebration concluded with a spectacular firework display.

Sochi will host the XXII Olympic Winter Games from 7 to 23 February 2014.

Read IOC President Jacques Rogge's speech

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