Afanasenkov Elected New Mayor of Sochi, Re-Affirms Support for Russia's first Winter Games

Russia's first Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, today welcomed the election of Vladimir Afanasenkov as the new Mayor of Sochi, after he secured 85.1% of the popular vote on Sunday.

Immediately following his election, Mr Afanasenkov expressed his commitment to ensuring Sochi hosts a truly innovative and inspirational event, and how he will continue to work closely with the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee.

Mr Afanasenkov had been acting Mayor of Sochi since April, after his predecessor, Viktor Kholodyazhny became President of the Olympstroy State Corporation responsible for the development of Olympic venues and related infrastructure in the region. In his acting role, Mr Afanasenkov was heavily involved in the development of the Olympic Plan and matters relevant to Russia's first Winter Games.

Dmitry Chernyshenko, President and CEO of Sochi 2014, said:

"I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Vladimir Afanasenkov on his election as Mayor of Sochi. I have already worked very closely with him on the development of our Olympic Plan and his commitment to Sochi 2014 is clear, as his is expertise for the role. A life-changing project is currently underway in Sochi and the Krasnodar Region - I believe that Mr Afanasenkov is exactly the right man for the job of Mayor of Sochi at this critical time. I know that he will work tirelessly to ensure that Sochi 2014 is a truly inspirational Games with a long term legacy for the people of our region.

"I am really looking forward to building on the strong relationship between Sochi 2014 and the city administration over the next few years to ensure that together we can deliver a truly innovative and inspirational Games."

A native of Sochi, Mr Afanasenkov was educated at Krasnador Polytechnic University and held several prominent roles in public service in the Sochi region. In his distinguished career he has been Director of the Regional Road Construction Administration, Head of the Blacksea Coast Directorate for Road Construction and Reconstruction and Director of the Federal Government's "Development of Sochi" Directorate.

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