International Olympic Committee : News

Sochi 2014 springing to life with 134 days to go till Opening Ceremony

9/26/2013 10:05:00 AM

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games, making its 10th and final visit to the Black Sea city, got an appreciation this week of what visitors can expect when they arrive for the Games – and the feedback has been positive.

“We often say that there is no time to waste as the clock ticks down to the Opening Ceremony, and this still stands true,” said Coordination Commission Chairman Jean-Claude Killy. “But to see how far the local organisers have come over the last six years is quite simply remarkable – the competition venues are ready; the spirit of the Games is awakening here; and the athletes, spectators and all others who visit next February can expect a fabulous experience. I'd like to congratulate Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak and Sochi 2014 President Dmitry Chernyshenko and their teams for their efforts so far.”

The Coordination Commission visited both the mountain and coastal clusters for a first-hand assessment of the progress being made. Test events have been held at all the competition venues, while non-competition venues are nearing completion and will be ready for the Games. Sochi is already in operational mode, with its Main Operations Centre up and running, full-scale testing under way, and staff starting to man the venues and refine logistical aspects such as transport, accommodation and airport arrivals and departures.

Meanwhile, initiatives to bring the Games to the rest of Russia are in full swing. On Sunday in Ancient Olympia, the Olympic Torch Relay for Sochi 2014 will officially get under way with the lighting of the flame at the Temple of Hera. After a seven-day journey through Greece, the flame will arrive in Moscow on 6 October to begin the longest Olympic Torch Relay in Olympic history, with 14,000 torchbearers helping to transport the flame over 65,000 kilometres in 123 days. The route has been designed to bring the flame within one hour of 90 per cent of the Russian population.

Awareness and interest in the Games are also on the rise thanks to initiatives such as the Cultural Olympiad, which continues to bring the Games experience to the entire country. Sochi 2014’s education programme has introduced the Olympic values to thousands of young Russians, while thousands of volunteers – recruited through 26 volunteer centres countrywide – are preparing to descend upon Sochi to make their invaluable contribution to the success of the Games next February.

Following a first phase of ticket sales earlier this year, Phase 2 of the ticketing programme for Sochi will begin soon, allowing even more Olympic fans from Russia and around the world to support their athletes in person, while Russian fans not lucky enough to get a ticket to be at the Games will be able to participate in the festivities at a number of live sites that will be set up in major cities across the country.

Dmitry Chernyshenko, Sochi 2014 President and CEO, said, "With 134 days to go until the Opening Ceremony, we have demonstrated to the IOC that Russia is ready for the Games and only the final touches of our preparations remain.” He continued, “There are many tests in the journey to prepare for an Olympic and Paralympic Games and our stunning venues, new infrastructure, and dedicated staff have passed every one. We are proud to be delivering the promises we made to the International Olympic Committee by hosting a Games that will be truly innovative and inspiring. I would like to personally thank the IOC for their guidance and support since Sochi was awarded the honour of hosting the Games. They have been integral in ensuring we will deliver the best Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games ever."

The Coordination Commission noted that legacy initiatives being implemented by Sochi 2014 stand to benefit Russians for generations to come. As part of their efforts to transform Sochi from a summer resort into a year-round destination, the organisers have legacy plans in place for each competition venue. Indeed, already this year, thousands of people are expected to attend the XII Sochi International Investment Forum this coming weekend, which will be hosted in and around the Bolshoy Ice Dome ice hockey venue. Local infrastructure, including roads, rail links, electricity, sewage and water systems, has also been upgraded. The Olympic project has significantly boosted employment in construction and the services industry, while a volunteer culture is beginning to take root thanks to the massive interest shown in the volunteer programme.

The Coordination Commission’s three-day meeting also included discussions on topics such as athlete and National Olympic Committee services, sport and the International Federations, the Paralympic Games, the Look of the Games, technology, media services, marketing, medical services, and spectator experience.

First Torchbearer announced for Sochi 2014 Torch Relay

9/20/2013 8:00:00 AM

The 18-year-old will carry the torch once it has been lit at a special lighting ceremony, which will take place in Ancient Olympia on 29 September. The ceremony will see several ‘priestesses’ perform a traditional celebration at the Temple of Hera in which the torch will be kindled by the light of the sun using a parabolic mirror.

The torch will then begin its journey to the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, which will be held on 7 February.

Antoniou, who hopes to compete at the Winter Games in Sochi, has been skiing since he was just four years old when he was encouraged to take up the sport by his parents, who are both physical education professors.

He has been a member of the Greek national ski team since 2011 and competed at the FIS World Junior Alpine Skiing Championships in 2012 before representing his country at the 2013 FIS World Alpine Skiing Championships in Schladming, Austria.

Once the Olympic flame reaches Russia on 7 October, the Sochi 2014 Torch Relay will travel approximately 65,000km around the country, making it the longest Torch Relay in Olympic Winter Games history, as it visits more than 2,900 towns and settlements, carried by more than 14,000 bearers.

"The Olympic Torch Relay is one of the most important and magical Olympic occasions,” explains Dmitry Chernyshenko, President and CEO of Sochi 2014. “It continues the build-up of excitement ahead of the Games and, as well as spreading the Olympic values to the whole country. We will be creating, as a nation, an important part of Russian history.”

London delivers final report, as Games report to Session

9/8/2013 9:00:00 PM

Reflecting on the past seven years, Coe underlined the tremendous successes that LOCOG and all its partners had been able to achieve during the seven years of preparations and, of course, in the delivery of the Games. He also focused on the outstanding legacy that London 2012 has delivered to the city of London, Great Britain, sport, and the Olympic Movement.

This was supported by Denis Oswald, the IOC’s Coordination Commission Chairman for the London Games, who commented, “[LOCOG’s] vision was to use the power of the Games to inspire a generation and transform a neglected part of the capital, bringing major social and economic benefits to a deprived area. This has been a spectacular illustration of the power of the Games to change people’s lives and to modify the face of a city.” LOCOG’s presentation concluded with a standing ovation led by IOC President Rogge in thanks for the work of the British team in delivering the Games.

The organisers of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games were up next with their President Dmitry Chernyshenko updating the Session on their preparations with only five months to go until the Games open. Chernyshenko spoke of the great progress that had been made in delivering venues and infrastructure, as well as in the finalization of Sochi’s operational plans.

Coordination Commission Chairman Jean-Claude Killy noted, “An intensive programme of test events, which was delivered mostly this past winter by Sochi 2014 and the Russian Sports Ministry, has been the most obvious example [of the progress made since last summer]. In total, almost 70 test events have been organized by Sochi. Whether they were of an international or local dimension, they have all been rich in lessons for Sochi 2014 and its partners. They have confirmed the quality of the competition venues and of the teams that will be called upon to operate them at the start of next year.”

Following the fifth visit of the IOC’s Coordination Commission to Rio de Janeiro only a week ago, the hosts of the 2016 Games, led by their President Carlos Arthur Nuzman, presented an update on the advances that were being made in a number of areas of Games preparations including venue and infrastructure construction, planning, and legacy.

Nawal El Moutawkel, Chair of the IOC’s Coordination Commission for the Rio 2016 Games, spoke of the progress that Rio had accomplished since their last session report in London last July. “Rio 2016 has made significant progress over the last year,” she said. El Moutawakel continued by emphasising that Rio 2016 had identified the key opportunities and risks and was learning the lessons of other major events that were being held in Brazil: “The opportunities and risks are now well identified. The Rio 2016 team, under the leadership of Carlos Nuzman and the new CEO, Sidney Levy, is adjusting its plans accordingly. They are also taking into account the lessons learned from the Confederations Cup and the World Youth Day.”

The last Games report was delivered by President Jinsun Kim and his team from the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee, who presented their new emblem to the Session and the advances that were being made in delivering the Korea’s first Olympic Winter Games.

IOC Coordination Commission Chair Gunilla Lindberg also looked to the future, by reminding the Korean delegation that they would have an unparalleled opportunity to learn from their observation of the Sochi Games and that once Sochi was over PyeongChang would really be under the spotlight, as the world turned its attention to Korea and the 2018 Games.

Sochi 2014 names first Torchbearers for Olympic Torch Relay

7/9/2013 1:30:00 PM

Of the 140,000 candidates – who were submitted to Sochi 2014 for approval – nearly 6,000 torchbearers have now been selected, representing all 83 regions of Russia.

Successful candidates were selected, among other things, for their commitment to a healthy lifestyle, sport and the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect.

The Sochi 2014 torchbearers chosen so far include athletes, public figures, teachers, doctors, rescue workers and pensioners, among many others.

Those who will have the honour of carrying the Olympic flame during the Torch Relay include the world's first female cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova, four-time Olympic gymnastics champion Alexei Nemov, three-time Olympic synchronised swimming champion Maria Kiseleva, Paralympic bronze medallist Aleksey Chuvashev, cardiovascular surgeon Maksim Strakhov and popular blogger Sergey Dolya.

The youngest torchbearer chosen so far is only 14 years old, while the oldest, from the Vologda Region, is aged 93. More than 300 of the Relay participants are people with disabilities.

The selected torchbearers also include 136 overseas representatives, including citizens of the United States, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Sweden, Ukraine, Great Britain and Spain.

Over the next two months, the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee will continue to process and approve the Olympic torchbearer application forms, with the final list of 14,000 people due to be published by the end of September.

Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch goes into space

6/26/2013 2:19:00 PM

The torch is due to arrive at the ISS on the Soyuz TMA-11M manned spaceship in November, and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Ryazansky and Oleg Kotov have been tasked with the historical assignment. For safety reasons, the torch will not be lit during the spacewalk.

Captain of the spacecraft Mikhail Tyurin, who received the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch at a ceremony earlier in June, will be responsible for passing it over to the cosmonauts who will take the torch on its unique walk.

Following the mission, cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, who is currently based on the ISS, will deliver the special cargo safely back to Earth.

The President of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, Dmitry Chernyshenko, said of the feat: “Nobody has done this before. The spacewalk by two Russian cosmonauts with the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch will be an historic moment in the history of the Olympic Torch Relay. I want to thank the Federal Space Agency for its support which will enable us to take the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay to the final frontier”.

Sochi 2014 Unveils Celebration Cauldron for Olympic Torch Relay

6/13/2013 1:00:00 PM

The lighting of the Celebration Cauldron will be the culmination of each day’s festivities across Russia during the 65,000km Relay, which will be the longest in the history of the Olympic Winter Games.

The concept behind the cauldron, which was developed by a team of renowned Russian designers, echoes that of the Olympic Torch and was designed in an identical style. The colours of the cauldron are bright red and silver: cold 'ice' sparkles in the sunlight and is topped off with a warm, dark scarlet 'flame'.

Each cauldron is 130cm tall, 60cm wide and the base is 110cm wide. The cauldron and its component parts have been put through numerous tests, including in extremely harsh weather conditions.

"The Celebration Cauldron of the Olympic Torch Relay is one of the main features of the Relay,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko, President of the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee. “Each region will have an opportunity to keep the cauldron. The cauldron will form a part of Games legacy and will remind the people of each region of this historic event – the longest Torch Relay in the history of the Olympic Winter Games.”

The Celebration Cauldron was unveiled as part of the festivities in Moscow’s Red Square marking the national holiday of the Russian Federation - “Russia Day”.

Coca-Cola’s Black Sea project receives Sustainability Award

3/14/2013 10:00:00 AM

The “Clean Sea for Clean City” project, which has been running for the last four years, encourages schoolchildren, students and Sochi 2014 volunteers to participate in a clean-up of the strip of beach alongside the River Sochi, as part of the annual International Black Sea Day celebrations, which are held in October each year.

The event, which is organised by Coca-Cola, the Sochi 2014 Organising and the City of Sochi Administration, also features an educational ECO-village in the city's main square and a roundtable discussion, dedicated to raising environmental awareness.

In 2012, the event programme also included a three-day environmental film festival, "H₂0-Sochi", which was organised as part of the Every Drop Matters project – a joint international initiative of the UN Development Programme and the Coca-Cola Company.

The “Harmony with Nature” award was presented to Coca-Cola at a ceremony in Sochi on 13 March, attended by the Deputy Chairman of the Government of Russian Federation, Dmitry Kozak, and members of the IOC Coordination Commission for Sochi 2014.

It is the first time that the Sochi 2014 Sustainability Awards have been held, recognising the contributions made to sustainable development relating to the next year’s Olympic Winter Games.

More information on the official Sochi 2014 website.

The penultimate IOC Coordination Commission gets underway in Sochi

3/12/2013 8:00:00 AM

During this visit, the Commission will be updated by the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee and its local partners on the progress being made on the project, with less than a year remaining until the Games.

Winter Sports Participation

As has happened during the preparations for previous Olympic Winter Games, the seven Olympic International Winter Sports Federations will participate in the opening and closing plenary sessions of the visit, as well as in the working group on sport and the International Federations. This participation helps to cement the already strong collaboration between the federations, the Local Organising Committee and the IOC.

A Full Two Days

Over the course of the two days of meetings, the Commission will hear about Sochi’s progress in areas as diverse as Games operations, the Olympic Torch Relay, technology, culture, education and sustainability. A large part of the meetings will also focus on client experience, with working groups examining the services that will be provided to groups such as the athletes, National Olympic Committees, spectators, the marketing partners, workforce and the media. These full two days will be yet another important step on Sochi’s way to successfully hosting the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

Greta Small aims big for Sochi 2014

3/5/2013 3:40:00 PM

Now, the 17-year-old, who competed in her first senior World Ski Championships in Schladming (Austria) in February, has her sights set on competing at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games in 2014 and says the Youth Olympic Games helped put her on the path to achieving that goal.

“The Youth Olympic Games was a once-in-a-lifetime experience so it definitely helped me,” said Greta, who did not medal in Innsbruck. “The positive and negative experiences I had changed my mindset going into Sochi and for my racing career in general. If I had not had some of those negative experiences I would not be having the awesome results I am having now. I am a lot more relaxed in my skiing and towards races, which is ultimately making me ski faster.”

Greta’s compatriot and Innsbruck 2012 bronze medallist Alex Fitch also graduated to the senior World Championships this year, finishing 22nd in the snowboard half-pipe.

Alex won her Youth Olympic bronze medal in the snowboard slopestyle event which is one of the new additions to the Sochi 2014 programme.

One of the breakthroughs of the 2012 Australian Winter Youth Olympic Games campaign, Alex Ferlazzo, has also continued to excel since Innsbruck and could push for a place in Sochi 2014. Now in only his second season of competing in luge, Alex has made history by winning bronze at a Junior World Cup in Norway – Australia’s first ever medal at this level.

Good luck to Greta and her Australian YOG team mates and to all the Innsbruck athletes who are working hard to achieve their own goals!

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.