KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay reaches halfway mark

©Sochi 2014

16/12/2013

The Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay has passed the halfway mark as it continues its 123-day journey across Russia ahead of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

The landmark was celebrated in Tobolsk, on the 20th anniversary of the Russian Constitution, with 25 Torchbearers carrying the Olympic flame on a 5.3km route along the city streets, as well as in the grounds of the Tobolsk Kremlin – the only stone fortress in Siberia.

Among the Torchbearers were Alexander Nesterov, the president of the local volleyball club, teacher Anatoly Berezin, and Alexey Gorodetsky, a member of the Russian wheelchair basketball team.

The following day, the Torch Relay reached the Sverdlovsk region, visiting Nizhny Tagil and Yekaterinburg, where the Olympic flame was taken to the viewing platform of the Vysotsky business centre – the highest building in Russia outside Moscow, as well as the most northern skyscraper in the world among buildings taller than 150 metres. 



The honour of carrying the Olympic flame to the highest point of the building was given to Olympic rhythmic gymnastics champion Irina Zilber and six-time swimming world champion Yuri Prilukov. 

"It's so neat,” said Zilber afterwards. “Such indescribable feelings of joy and excitement, and touching something so important, great, and to some degree sacred.”

In Nizhny Tagil, the Torch Relay began in spectacular style at one of the biggest ski jumping centres in Russia, with Torchbearer Sergey Dyachuk – a three-time Russian champion in Nordic combined – landing in the arena after performing a jump from the 90-metre ramp before collecting the Olympic flame.

The Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay is now set to continue its journey across Russia on its way to the Opening Ceremony of Sochi 2014 on 7 February 2014.

The route has been designed to ensure that around 90% of Russia's population will be within an hour of the Relay at some stage, allowing approximately 130 million residents to participate in the event.

Find out more about the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay Presenting Partners athttp://torchrelay.sochi2014.com/en/Partners 

More information on the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay can be found athttp://torchrelay.sochi2014.com/en/

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Lake Placid enjoys long and continued Olympic legacies

©IOC

17/12/2013

The small upstate New York village of Lake Placid has enjoyed a long Olympic tradition thanks to the two editions of the Olympic Winter Games it has hosted, which came 48 years apart, in 1932 and 1980.

The Lake Placid Games in 1932 marked the first time that the Olympic Winter Games had been held in North America – and the first outside Europe – and helped bring worldwide recognition to Lake Placid, leading to increased tourism, which has since been the backbone of the economy in the Adirondack Mountains.

The 1932 Winter Games also brought improved infrastructure and new facilities, including the multi-purpose Olympic Centre, which was specially built to host the figure skating events and six of the 12 ice hockey games – the first indoor arena ever used for the Winter Games.

The success of the 1932 Games helped establish Lake Placid as a leader in the resort and sports world and expanded the summer tourism season. From 1932 to the 1950s, Lake Placid also hosted more international sporting events – including speed skating, bobsleigh and Nordic skiing world championships – and produced more US Olympic athletes than any other American town.

By 1954, Lake Placid was eager to host the Winter Games again, but it wasn’t until 1980 that the world’s attention was once again focused on the Adirondack Mountains, as the region welcomed the Winter Games for a second time.

While some venues, such as the ski jumping hills, were rebuilt ahead of the Games, many of the same facilities were used again in 1980, including the Olympic Centre, which was once again the site of many memorable Olympic moments, not least the USA men’s ice hockey team’s triumph over the heavily fancied Soviet Union – a match that has since been known as the ‘Miracle on Ice’.

To ensure that the legacy of the 1980 Winter Games stretched beyond the memorable sporting moments, New York State announced its decision to place the responsibility for maintaining, managing and promoting all of the Olympic venues under one organisation – the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA).

The ORDA’s key initiatives have since been instrumental in nurturing Lake Placid’s status as a world-class winter sports centre, ensuring an ongoing Olympic legacy that has helped shape the region’s economy.

Since the 1980 Games, Lake Placid has hosted numerous world championships and World Cup events, highlighting the continued positive impact that hosting the Winter Games can have.

Over the last 30 years, other legacy initiatives have included the construction of the Olympic Training Centre in 1995, construction of the new combined bobsled, luge and skeleton run in 2000, improvements at Whiteface Mountain including the addition of a high speed gondola and, most recently, construction of the new Conference Centre in Lake Placid – a state-of-the-art meeting facility that opened in the spring of 2011.

These facilities have continued to improve the economy of the region, with tourism more than doubling since 1980, according to the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism.

As Sochi prepares to welcome the Olympic Winter Games to Russia for the first time, it can point to the example of Lake Placid and look forward to a long and continued Olympic legacy from the facilities that have been built along the Black Sea and in the mountains of Krasnaya Polyana.

Travel back in time and watch our video from Lake Placid 1932

 

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Alexis Pinturault is heading for the summit

©Getty Images

16/12/2013

Though only 22, Alexis Pinturault is one of the world’s leading skiers in a number of disciplines. His inexorable climb to the top will now take him to the resort of Rosa Khutor, the venue for the Alpine skiing events at Sochi 2014, where he will be vying for several medals.

Hailing from Courchevel, where his father runs a hotel, Alexis Pinturault is French Alpine skiing’s brightest hope. A world junior giant slalom champion in 2009, he made his World Cup debut as an 18-year-old that same season and was soon figuring among the best in slalom, giant slalom, super G and super combined. By the time he turned 22, he had already scored four wins on the FIS circuit, while also finishing in the top six in every event bar the downhill at the 2013 World Championships in Schladming, a remarkable performance that the ambitious young skier admitted to being slightly disappointed with. 

Looking ahead to his first Winter Games next February, Pinturault said: “To my mind there’s no bigger event in a sportsperson’s career. Everyone watches and follows the Games.” But he won’t be doing anything special to prepare for Sochi.  . “Even though it’s an amazing occasion, I don’t see any reason why I should go about my training differently,” he says “That said, I’ll obviously need to approach the Games in the right way to be in good shape for my events. I need to be aware of what to expect there. We’ll be in big demand and there’ll be a lot of media attention. I’ll need to keep things in perspective and know exactly what I’m there for, which is to ski and nothing else.”  

An all-round talent 

A runner-up to the USA’s Ted Ligety in the giant slalom at this season’s opening FIS World Cup event at Solden in late October, Pinturault has several strings to his bow and the skills to shine in both the technical and speed events. . “I’m still not fast enough in super G, but I’m thinking of competing in three events at Sochi (slalom, giant slalom and super combined),” he explained. “I don’t see why I shouldn’t give myself as many chances as I can to win medals. I don’t really have a favourite event and I’ve had several podium finishes in each of them, though I’ve had more in giant slalom than in any other. Downhill and super G are the two in which I can improve the most.”  

Pinturault identified the healthy competition in the France team as one of the factors that has expedited his progress: “It pushes us all on and we all try to make the most of being around each other.” As for the challenge that lies ahead at Sochi, he is keeping his approach simple: “I don’t have any specific objectives this season. My only goal is to do as well as I possibly can in each race and just take each one as it comes; step by step, as they say.” 

Blessed with a cool head, sound technique, searing pace and nerves of steel, Pinturault is making steady progress towards the summit of world skiing, and has shown he has what it takes to be in the mix for the medals when the world’s skiing elite assembles in Sochi.

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Rio 2016 continues its sustainability journey

© Luiz Barros/Fiperj

16/12/2013

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee is continuing to deliver its strategy to make the 2016 Olympic Games as sustainable as possible by signing new agreements guaranteeing that all seafood served at the Games will be sustainably sourced and that all wood purchased by Games organisers will be certified as sustainable.

The landmark announcements mean that all of the seafood served to the athletes, officials, media and at the on-site restaurants will be wild caught and responsibly farmed, while all wood and forestry products – including overlay structures, furniture, stationery and communication materials – will also be certified. 

Speaking about the seafood agreement, Julie Duffus, Sustainability Manager for the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, said: “This will ensure that our catering not only improves the local food industry but improves it to a standard that will leave a lasting, positive legacy post Games for Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.”

Regarding the certified wood commitment, Tania Braga, Rio 2016 Head of Sustainability, Accessibility and Legacy, added: “It will be a great opportunity to showcase production and consumption practices that are less harmful to the environment with the use of certified products. We are fully committed to realising this important step for sport and for the country.”

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee also recently opened its doors to 25 civil society organisations to hear their contributions towards making the Games even more sustainable.

Approximately 50 representatives took part in the organising committee's first Dialogue Workshop, held on 2-4 December in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The working groups contributed to the revision of the Sustainability Management Plan for the Rio 2016 Games, with proposals for improvements, criticisms and new suggestions. The initiative aims to open a continuous dialogue with civil society and encourage a collective effort to create more sustainable Games.

“We had an extremely productive three days of work,” said Braga. “I was impressed by the level of preparation, the quality of everything that was presented and the desire to contribute. It's an important step in our efforts to deepen dialogue with society and we can count on the help of all these organisations in the work that is ahead of us. We see a unique opportunity to make the most of the Games' power as a catalyst, to meet the important needs of our society.”

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Nine candidates vying for slots in IOC Athletes’ Commission

16/12/2013

In less than two months’ time, the Olympic Villages for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games will officially open to welcome athletes from all corners of the world. This will also mark the starting point for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission elections. From 30 January to 19 February 2014, all athletes participating in the Sochi Games are encouraged to have their say in selecting two of their peers as representatives on the IOC Athletes’ Commission. 

Each athlete will be asked to vote for two candidates from two different sports, to ensure varied representation from the Olympic sports programme. There are nine candidates in total, and all of them either participated in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games or will be taking part in the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Voting locations will be in the “IOC Spaces” situated in the dining halls of each of the three Olympic Villages (Coastal, Mountain and Endurance).

You can find the Election Manual featuring all nine candidates here.

The results of the vote will be announced on 20 February 2014 at 2 p.m. at the Media Centre in the Coastal Olympic Village in Sochi. The two elected athletes will then be proposed to the IOC Session for IOC membership.

The IOC Athletes’ Commission is currently composed of 22 members, who are past or active Olympians. They are the voice of the athletes within the Olympic Movement and are defending their interests. As the link between the athletes and the IOC, the Commission members are involved in many IOC key activities, such as the process to evaluate candidate cities seeking to host the Olympic Games, the composition of the sports programme for the Games and the fight against doping. The Athletes’ Commission also oversees the IOC Athlete Career Programme, established in 2005, to facilitate education as well as job opportunities for athletes during and after their sporting career. The Commission’s chairperson, a position currently held by Claudia Bokel, also sits on the IOC Executive Board.

Follow updates on the IOC Athletes’ Commission elections here

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Executive Board meets to discuss Olympic Agenda 2020

14/12/2013

The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) concluded a four-day brainstorming seminar today in Montreux, Switzerland, where discussions were led by IOC President Thomas Bach and centred on key issues pertinent to the future of the Olympic Movement.

The ideas generated at the meeting will form the basis of the Olympic Agenda 2020, a roadmap for the Olympic Movement under Thomas Bach’s presidency that is expected to be finalised by the end of 2014.  The ideas and proposals generated will be discussed by the full Session of the IOC in Sochi, and those selected will then be taken forward in working groups, which will present concrete proposals later in the year.

The seminar was the start of a dialogue promised by the President during his campaign for election, and focused on the themes outlined in his electoral programme in addition to the ideas and comments of the five other presidential candidates, with whom President Bach held separate discussions in September and October. Ideas also came from other IOC members and the broader Olympic family.
Discussions centred on five main themes: The Uniqueness of the Games; Athletes at the Heart of the Olympic Movement; Olympism in Action; The IOC’s Role; and The Structure and Organisation of the IOC. The outcomes will form part of a wider debate at the Session in Sochi, but the successful discussions have already led to a number of decisions indicating the broad agreement on the future strategic direction. The decisions included:
Protecting Clean Athletes
· To fund new research into anti-doping, in particular into new techniques for the detection of prohibited substances and methods, with an initial budget of USD 10 million. The IOC invites world governments represented in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to match this amount.
· An increase in support to protect clean athletes from any manipulation or related corruption was also approved.  The Executive Board created a fund of USD 10 million. It also approved the setting up of an Olympic Movement monitoring tool to collate alerts and information on manipulation through betting.  The “Integrity Betting, Intelligence System” (IBIS) will collate and distribute intelligence and research from International Federations. It was also announced that the IOC would sign a memorandum of understanding with Interpol at the beginning of next year.
Sustainability
· The Executive Board discussed issues with regard to the sustainability of the Olympic Games from the bidding procedure to the Programme of the Games, Games Management and finally the Legacy of the Games. These issues will be further addressed at the Session in Sochi and subsequent working groups.  But the Executive Board already took two decisions in this respect.
1. Establishing a working group on cost management for the Olympic Games to facilitate further discussions
2. To encourage the cities with bids already underway for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games to make the broadest possible use of temporary and/or dismountable facilities.
Youth Olympic Games
· Some new sports and disciplines not currently on the Olympic Programme will be showcased at the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games in 2014. (Sport Climbing, Roller Sports and Skateboarding as well as Wushu which was already planned)
Olympic TV Channel
· The Executive Board agreed to a feasibility study for an Olympic TV Channel  by  OBS
IOC Membership
· Regulations of the Nominations Commission will be changed with a view to have more transparency in the candidacy of  IOC Members
Following the 126th IOC Session in Sochi, working groups including representatives of stakeholders will be established to translate the discussion into concrete recommendations.  This Olympic Agenda 2020 will then be presented for final approval to an IOC Extraordinary Session to be held on 6 and 7 December 2014 in Monaco.

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Sochi launches Official Spectator Guide

©Sochi 2014

13/12/2013

With 56 days to go until the start of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee has released its Official Spectator Guide for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games.

The guide, which is available at www.sochi2014.com/games/spectator/ and as a mobile app, will give fans access to a wealth of information about the Sochi Games including the official competition schedule, and practical advice about attending the Games this February.

As well as being an indispensable companion to those already attending the Games, the guide will also be of use to those that are still planning their trip of a lifetime to see the world’s best winter athletes compete in Russia’s first ever Olympic Winter Games. It will allow fans to plan their day and see if they can, for example, watch the downhill in the morning, figure skating in the evening, and still be able to experience the unique spirit of Russian hospitality during the day or take in a cultural Olympiad performance.

The Spectator Guide, which will be updated regularly between now and Games time, comprises six distinct sections.

The first section, ‘Sochi 2014 Games’, offers interesting facts about the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, in addition to a schedule of all Olympic events and details on how to travel to the Games. It has also been announced that a simplified visa process will be in place for those visiting the Sochi Games this February.

The ‘Competition Tickets’ section offers separate advice for Russian and international visitors on where to purchase tickets and get their Spectator Pass, while the ‘Transportation’ section gives recommendations on transport provision for spectators during Games time that will run between the sports venues and main districts of Sochi. Transport for spectators will include a network of railway and bus routes, as well as cable cars. Transport will be free for spectators who have a valid ticket for a competition on that day.

Visitors can use the ‘Venues’ section of the guide to find maps detailing the locations of the Coastal and Mountain cluster Olympic venues, as well as a map of the Olympic Park. Approximate journey times to the Olympic stadiums, services available at the venues and information on security check procedures can also be found within this section.

Elsewhere, the ‘Atmosphere’ section lists details about the Opening and Closing Ceremonies as well as the medal, award and flower ceremonies. This section also includes information and updates on the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad and the Live Sites – huge screens and stages where people will be able to watch the Games.

The final section, ‘Around the Games’, contains information on Sochi 2014 Ambassadors, on the Olympic Torch Relay and on the Sochi 2014 volunteers. It also outlines where official Sochi 2014 licensed merchandise can be purchased.

Information on tickets for Sochi 2014 is available here http://www.olympic.org/news/sochi-2014-olympic-winter-games-tickets/190291

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