First testing of Olympic snow venues complete
SOCHI, March 27, 2012 - The first complex testing of 5 sports venues in the Mountain cluster that will host a number of Olympic events starting in 2014 is over.
The pre-test events took place during the 2011-2012 winter season, and were organized by the Ministry of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy of Russian Federation with the participation of Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee. Following 14 pre-test events athletes and members of international federations emphasized the readiness of the venues to stage the Games. More than 550 paid employees of Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee and volunteers took part in the testing. The gained experience will help the Organizing Committee to effectively organize and stage 23 test events during the 2012-2013 winter season, including the highest level competitions - the World Cups and World Championships.
Sochi 2014 employees and volunteers helped to coordinate 15 different areas of activity. Among these were: venue management, preparation of the tracks, organization of sports competitions, press-center work, coordination of volunteer activity, interaction with the media, as well as resolving medical, anti-doping, anti-avalanche and meteorological service issues. In addition, managers of Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee's venues carried out the functions of the deputies of Organizing Committees' competitions chairmen, and coordinated work in the field.
The pre-test events during the 2011-2012 Winter season provided Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee with the opportunity to develop insights into various areas including data in the areas of communication, transport and use of Olympic sports venues. Significant changes in weather, from heavy snowfall to low clouds in the mountains, ensured that the organizers of the Games in Sochi gained experience when making decisions in difficult weather conditions. This experience will be invaluable in the preparation of the 2012-2013 test events.
As a result, an action plan was prepared on each of the functional areas of Sochi 2014 ahead of the test events. The requirements of the Organizing Committee in terms of material and human resources were also defined.
In total, more than 3,000 athletes from 35 countries all over the world took part in the pre-test events during the 2011-2012 Winter season in Sochi. These events were covered by more than 250 accredited journalists from 60 countries. They took place at five Olympic venues - the "Rosa Khutor" Alpine Center, the "Rosa Khutor" Extreme Park, the "Laura" Cross-Country Ski and Biathlon Center, the "RusSki Gorki" Jumping Center and the Sliding Center "Sanki".
These pre-test events (2011/2012) were organized by the Ministry of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy of the Russian Federation, Russian winter sports federations, Administrations of Sochi and Krasnodar region. During the 2012-2013 season, the Organizing Committee will be responsible for the staging of international test events, including competitions at the highest level - World Cups and World Championships.
Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee was created on October 2, 2007 following the successful completion of the bidding phase. The Russian Olympic Committee, Ministry of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy and the Sochi city Administration, acted as the founders of the Organizing Committee. The Organizing Committee's structure consists of 11 streams combining 54 key functional areas in the preparation for and staging of the Games.
(Source: AIPS)
