Sochi Airport

On February 7, 2013, Russia celebrated a landmark date: just one year to go before the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. On that morning, the All-Russian countdown in days, hours, minutes and seconds to the start of the Olympics began. For the first time in the history of the Games, at exactly 11:00 am local time across Russia, eight OMEGA countdown clocks to the Olympic Games in 2014 were simultaneously unveiled. Representatives of regional and city authorities, famous athletes, culture and art personalities, as well as representatives of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee took part in the OMEGA countdown clock unveiling ceremonies. In the evening, the city of Sochi was the center of the celebrations: at the Olympic "Bolshoy" Ice Dome, Jacques Rogge, the Head of the IOC, presented an official invitation to the Games to representatives of the National Olympic Committees, which culminated in a colorful ice show with a performance by Sochi 2014 ambassador Ilya Averbukh and Russian figure skating stars.

The OMEGA countdown clocks to the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi were ceremoniously unveiled in the administrative centers of eight Russian federal districts: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Pyatigorsk and Khabarovsk.

In Moscow, the red OMEGA countdown clock was maintained and it is of larger size than in other cities – higher than 6 meters. It features the spirit of the city and is made according to the colors of the Red Square. In other cities, the countdown clocks are blue with a height of 3,5 meters. Since May 2011, a similar OMEGA countdown clock has already been counting down in the host city of the Games, Sochi. The countdown clocks' design was developed by the official timekeeper of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi OMEGA.

The largest celebrations marking one year to go before the Games were held at Manezhnaya Square in Moscow. In the morning while guests were gathering, video clips illustrating the main stages of preparation for the Games in Sochi were broadcast on big screens. Everyone had the opportunity to write their best wishes for the Russian Olympic team on an Olympian Wish Wall set up in the center of the square, edged in the style of the Olympic patchwork quilt. During the celebration, guests had the opportunity to take pictures next to the OMEGA countdown clock, mascots and the Sochi 2014 torch while they waited for the concert and entertainment program featuring music stars, as well as meet Olympians fr om Moscow and ask their idols questions. At the end of the event, all the guests took part in a "Muscovites' Olympic dance" flash mob.

In St. Petersburg, an hour before the start of the OMEGA countdown clock ceremony, there were melodies and songs about sports and the Olympics from a stage along with a quick quiz for the guests on the Olympic and Paralympic Games. After the OMEGA countdown clock began a year before the Games, 365 balloons in the colors of the Olympic rings were released into the sky, while the Sochi 2014 anthem played - "The Games that we all deserve together with you".

During the clock launch ceremony in Nizhny Novgorod, a brass band played and a field kitchen served food, while a ski relay was organized for pupils of children's sport schools. Guests took part in a tug-of-war competition, and they could watch snowboarder demonstrations. The OMEGA countdown clock start was followed by a firework display.

In Khabarovsk, Novosibirsk, Ekaterinburg, Rostov-on-Don and Pyatigorsk, guests experienced entertainment and concerts, and after all the OMEGA countdown clock ceremonies, hundreds of balloons were released into the sky and the Sochi Olympic anthem played.

In the evening, the celebrations moved to Sochi. At the Olympic "Bolshoy" Ice Dome a celebratory event dedicated to one year to go before the Games took place, in which Russian President Vladimir Putin, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, President of the Russian Olympic Committee Alexander Zhukov, President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge, IOC Coordination Commission Chairman Jean-Claude Killy, IOC Executive Director for the Olympic Games Gilbert Felli, the heads of National Olympic Committees and the President of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee Dmitry Chernyshenko took part. During the ceremony, Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee, extended an official invitation to the XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014 in Sochi to NOC representatives of Canada, Brazil, South Korea and Russia.

The evening continued with a colorful ice show, staged by the Sochi 2014 ambassador and famous skater Ilya Averbukh with Russian figure skating stars Irina Slutskaya, Tatyana Navka, Roman Kostomarov, Alexei Yagudin, Tatyana Totmyanina and Maxim Marinin. A total of about 300 artists took part in the show. An orchestra played at the celebration, directed by Sochi 2014 ambassador maestro Yuri Bashmet. The unique ice show told the audience about the main stages of preparation for the Games in Sochi in 2014 after winning the bid in Guatemala City in 2007. The celebration ended with spectacular bright fireworks.