Olympics

RIA Novosti Chosen as Host News Agency for Sochi Winter Games

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The International Olympic Committee has selected RIA Novosti, Russia's leading news agency as the Host National News Agency and the National Olympic Photo Pool for theSochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.


Kevan Gosper, the IOC's Press Commission Chairman revealed the Committee's decision to RIA Novosti editor-in-chief Svetlana Mironyuk during his September visit to Moscow.


"We are proud to announce that RIA Novosti was chosen as the Host National News Agency for the Sochi 2014 Olympics," Gosper said at a RIA Novosti press conference. The IOC appreciated RIA Novosti's efforts in promoting Olympic values and informing its audience about the preparation process for the games, he added.


As the Host National News Agency for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, RIA Novosti will enjoy similar status and privileges to the world news agencies officially recognized by the IOC, the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.


The duties of the Host News Agency also include providing national news, sports and pictorial coverage of the Games with a focus on the host nation's athletes, and making such coverage widely available to the Russian media.


"We are sure that RIA Novosti team will provide full news coverage for the Russian and International audience of the Sochi Olympic Games and other events within the Olympics," Gosper said.

Mironyuk said RIA Novosti was honored to receive Host News Agency status.


"This is the first time Russian media outlet has been appointed as the Host News Agency for the Olympic Games. On the one hand, it's a great honor and responsibility, on the other hand, it's a wonderful opportunity for us to make a big qualitative step in development and take a place in the team of the world's news agencies," Mironyuk said.

 

Last Updated on Wednesday, 05 October 2011 12:06
 

International Olympic Committee Happy with Progress at Sochi

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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games had its sixth meeting in Sochi 12-14 September, noting the good progress being made at all levels, in particular measures to generate interest in the Games across the country.

Coordination Commission Chairman Jean-Claude Killy, mentioned that they have been impressed with the way organizers have reached out to people in every corner of the country to make them feel part of the Sochi Games.

Some examples of this reach can be seen in Sochi 2014's Cultural Olympiad, which will hold 850 events this year, with an anticipated reach of over 1 million people, while Sochi's education program is seeing lessons on the 2014 Games being taught to 140,000 schoolchildren in 30 cities.

On the volunteer front, 26 “hubs” have been set up at universities around Russia, where prospective volunteers are trained and provided information about the Games. Killy and Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli, who met with the rectors of the volunteer hubs during the visit, said the program will leave a great legacy for the nation and the Olympic Movement in Russia.

The country and city is greatly benefiting from the catalytic effect of the Games in terms of tourism, elite sporting events, and participation in sports. These trends should continue for the foreseeable future with over 60 test events planned before the 2014 Olympics.

Last Updated on Thursday, 29 September 2011 12:03
 

Sochi Tops in Sponsorship

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Two and a half years before its start, the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics is already the most successful in the history of the games at deriving income from national sponsors, beating the Beijing Summer Olympics' record.

The games have taken in more than $1.2 billion, Olympic organizing committee chairman Dmitry Chernyshenko announced at a session in Sochi.

On Saturday, the committee signed a sponsorship agreement with Russian Buses (part of GAZ) and Skania Rus, as well as with recruiting agencies Adecco Group, EXECT Business Training and Kelly Services.

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Coastal venues in Sochi progressing well

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In the 2014 Games, events will be focused around two different areas – a coastal cluster in Sochi consisting of the Olympic Park and ice venues, and a mountain cluster in the Krasnaya Polyana Mountains, which will host the skiing and sliding events.

The Olympic Park will be the main focus of the coastal cluster and will be home to the Central Stadium, the Bolshoi Ice Palace, the Maly Ice Palace, the Sochi Curling Centre, the Figure Skating and Short-Track Centre and the Speed Skating Centre.

For the first time in Olympic history all the ice venues are within walking distance of one another, creating a centralised Olympic Park that will be able to accommodate around 75,000 fans when full.

The Olympic Park, which is being built by the Black Sea coast in the Imeretin Valley, will also house the Main Olympic Village, the International Broadcasting Centre and the Main Press Centre. All the venues and facilities will be newly built.

“We are impressed by the speed that Sochi is changing,” said IOC Coordination Commission Chairman Jean-Claude Killy. “The first test event held in February this year is proof of their progress and the government is committed to the Games.”

The Sochi organisers mentioned that developments are well on schedule: “The plan is to finish the mountain and coastal venues two seasons before the start of the Games. All of the infrastructure will be done by 2012 for the Olympic Park.”

After the Games, the Central Stadium will become a football stadium to be used by the Russian national team and as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Speed Skating Centre will be turned into a trade and exhibition centre, while the Bolshoi Ice Palace will serve as an ultra-modern, world-class multi-purpose sports and entertainment centre.

The Maly Ice Palace, the Sochi Curling Centre and the Figure Skating and Short-Track Centre are all temporary venues, which will be dismantled and transported for post-Games use in other Russian cities.

Apparently, work on the venues that will be used during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games is progressing well, with the Olympic Park on schedule for completion next year.

 

Sochi 2014 mountain venues right on track

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The mountain cluster will be the main area of all the skiing as well as sliding sports and will also include a Biathlon, Ski Complex, a Bobsleigh Track, a Ski Centre, Ski Jump Complex, a Snowboard Park and Freestyle Centre.

Several of the venues are due to host international events at the start of 2012, to prepare for the 2014 Games, and IOC Coordination Commission Chairman Jean-Claude Killy was confident that the athletes would be impressed following a recent visit to Sochi. “I am confident that the world’s winter athletes will be impressed when they arrive in Sochi for the up-coming sports events and the Games in 2014,” said Killy. He continued, “The entire Sochi 2014 team deserves great praise for their achievements over the past six months.”

Both the Biathlon and Ski Complex are located on the crest and slopes of the Psekhako Ridge. These will host both the FIS Cup and the IBU Cup in January next year, on the other hand the Alpine Centre, on the Aibga Ridge, will host the Alpine FIS World Cup in February.

The Ski Jumping Complex, which can be found in Esto-Sadok village on the northern slope of the Aibga Ridge, will stage the FIS Ski Jumping Cup in February, while the Snowboard Park and Freestyle Centre, to the West of the Rosa Khutor plateau, will host both the Freestyle FIS European Cup and the Snowboard FIS European Cup in March.

Last Updated on Thursday, 01 September 2011 12:17
 
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