International Olympic Committee (IOC) Evaluation Commission members inspecting Sochi’s bid for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games were spectators at the final round of the “All Russia ski-track” cross country Grand Prix in Krasnaya Polyana Wednesday as fresh snow fell on the brand-new Psekhako Ridge ski resort, the proposed venue which would host the Biathlon, Cross Country Skiing and Nordic Combined events should Sochi win the bid.
The 25th annual “All Russia ski-track” Grand Prix final was held over 10 kilometres for women and 15 kilometres for men on the future Olympic Winter Games circuit.
Vyacheslav Fetisov, Russia’s Sports Minister and Sochi 2014 Supervisory Board member said, “the All-Russia ski track” event is all about participation and that’s something Russians are passionate about with winter sports”.
He called the event “another step towards winning the race for the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi and leaving behind an incredible legacy for the winter sports movement”.
Sochi 2014 CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko said, “the All-Russia race is a major event in the Russian winter sports season, gathering the nation’s winter sports enthusiasts. Sochi and Russia needs the 2014 Winter Games to encourage more Russian youngsters to take up winter sports and help elite athletes reach their potential. After hosting the Biathlon, Cross Country Skiing and Nordic Combined events, the Psehako Ridge site will become the Russian National Training Centre and a prosperous winter sports resort to welcome the world to Sochi”.
On Tuesday Russian President Vladimir Putin demonstrated his commitment to Sochi’s bid by holding a skiing photo-call with local children.
Tuesday evening the President was presented with key elements of deliverability for Sochi’s 2014 bid in a report prepared by Mace, called one of the world’s leading and most diverse management and construction companies. The report confirmed that Russia is well prepared to deliver the Games.
Putin then stressed the “enormous” legacy that the Games would leave Russia and the world. He talked about the significant impact the Games would have on peoples’ lives and how Sochi would throw open its arms to the world.
He said, “Russia intends to spend a huge amount of money on the development of this region, about $12 billion. Of this money about two thirds will be spent on infrastructure: on roads, on addressing environmental concerns, on communications, on improving peoples’ lives. This money will be spent towards uniting people from all over the world around the idea of physical education.
“We will spend this money so that people from all over the world congregate here in Sochi, in Russia, and join hands. We will do everything to make Sochi a worthy capital of the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Games. And I am very much counting on your help”.
The President later hosted the IOC commission members at an informal dinner.
