Beijing, China, 6 August – Sochi 2014 today presented its first progress report as an Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its 120th Session in Beijing.

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

«Just over a year ago, Sochi 2014 delivered our final presentation to the IOC in Guatemala. Once again, on behalf of all Russians, I want to thank the IOC for its historic decision. We are working very hard to justify its trust in Sochi.

«Today, I was given the opportunity to present our first progress report to the IOC. I outlined that we have achieved all our objectives in our first year as an Organising Committee and provided the IOC with an update on the excellent steps we have taken with regards to the environment, Paralympic planning and integration, transport, construction, legal aspects, marketing, communications, security, brand protection, technology, finance and delivering on Bid commitments.

«I was also able to reveal inspiring vision for Sochi 2014: to host an innovative Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games celebrating the Spirit of Russia and delivering sustainable positive change. That is our commitment to Russia and the Olympic Movement and we are working very closely with the IOC to deliver.»

Chernyshenko explained that the Sochi Venue and Infrastructure Construction Schedule, which was due for submission on 1 August 2008, was tendered to the IOC ahead of schedule. The plan outlines that the construction of all Olympic venues will start no later than 2009. All sports facilities will be completed by the end of 2012 for a full Test Event programme.

Following significant improvements to its venue plan in the Mountain Cluster, all proposed Sochi 2014 venue locations have been submitted to the IOC and International Federations (IFs) for review and approval. The enhancements represent good news for athletes and spectators alike, as Sochi 2014 has made its Mountain Cluster even more compact than first proposed to the IOC as a Candidate City.

Sochi 2014 proposes that its Mountain Olympic Village is located at the eco-resort of Roza Khutor in the Krasnaya Polyana mountains. The new location for the Athletes' Mountain Village, at a height of 1,100m, is now even more convenient for elite winter athletes as it is closer to the other competition venues than originally planned. The Roza Khutor resort will host all Alpine Skiing and Snowboard events in 2014.

The National Sliding Centre moves away from the Caucasian biosphere resort border as part of Sochi 2014’s commitment to protect and enhance the natural environment in the region through the Winter Games. It is proposed for development at Alpika Service, the most popular alpine skiing resort in Krasnaya Polyana.

Transport planning is also progressing well. In February 2009, Sochi 2014 will submit the next draft of its full Transport Plan. Some of the major transport projects include the redevelopment of Sochi airport terminals, the construction of a new railway and expressway from the Sochi coast to the Krasnaya Polyana mountains and the development of a deep-water sea port.

Chernyshenko also told the IOC that the Russian Government had moved swiftly to enact the crucial legislation for preparing and delivering the Games. Infrastructure legislation was implemented to regulate areas including land acquisition, work permits, procurement, and environment in relation to the Games.

The Olympic and Paralympic law was passed and protects all Bid guarantees by protecting all IOC and IPC intellectual property; preventing ambush marketing, ticket scalping and price gorging; confirming tax exemption in Russia for the IOC and relevant third parties; confirming visa-less entry into the Russian Federation for the Olympic Family.

The IOC also heard that a highly effective and transparent platform for dialogue with all interested parties has been established, with the creation of the Joint Information Centre, with offices in Sochi and Moscow. The Information Centre joins all stakeholders important to the organisation and delivery of the 2014 Winter Games and includes a call centre to answer local Sochi residents' questions. The Centre has already handled 3,000 enquiries, provided walk-in information services and has seen Federal Ministers and others meet with local residents on several occasions.

Chernyshenko also reconfirmed that Sochi 2014 is a national priority for Russia, with both President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin fully committed and heavily involved in the project. He suggested that the decision to propose new locations for select Sochi 2014 venues is a perfect example of collaboration between the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee and the Russian Government, together with the IOC and International Federations.

The news of Sochi 2014's progress met with positive feedback from IOC members in the Session.

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