Sochi is a unique place

Sochi is a unique place. On the seashore you can enjoy a sweet-smelling spring day, but in the mountains it`s winter.

Sochi is a gateway

• to mountain paradise;
• to unique environment;
• to hospitality;
• to multinational culture;
• to healthy living.

The mountains of Krasnaya Polyana and the beaches of The Black Sea exist in perfect harmony. The mountains are dramatic and challenging. It is a place where the East meets the West.

For centuries this charming city has attracted the visitors from Russia and all over the world. Now Sochi is going to be a place of fulfilling of the dreams of millions of Russians. It will be host city of XXII Olympic Winter Games from 7 to 23 February 2014. Winter sports are very popular in Russia. Winter is in our blood and in our philosophy. Our prominent athletes have made major contributions to the Olympic movements. In the ice hockey, figure skating and cross-country skiing and biathlon our sportsmen have always been among the best in the world. Russian sportsmen have collected a huge number of silver and bronze medals. Numerous Olympics and world records have been broken and are still held. N. Kruglov, I. Slytskaya, E. Plyuschenko, N. Legkov, S. Zhurina, I. Skobrev, E. Ustyugov, I. Cherizov are outstanding names in their own fields. They won fame for themselves and for our country.  

Nowadays millions of citizens in Russia are united by the Olympic dream which soon come true. The National Olympic Committee made the historical decision to develop Olympic Park in one of the most attractive places in Russia where all venues will be in one single perimeter security along the Black Sea coast. The Games will be organized in two clusters: a coastal cluster for ice events in Sochi and a mountain cluster located in the Krasnaya Polyana Mountains. This will make it one of the most compact Games ever with around 30 minutes travel time from the coastal to mountain cluster. Special emphasis is paid to up to date new railway line that is why there will be no traffic jams on the roads.  70% of the participants will be housed in 5 minute walking distance of the place of the competitions. Spectators and guests will gain a safe, enjoyable and memorable experience. Everybody is going to feel at home in Sochi.  

For the first time in the history of Olympic Movement, the whole country was involved in choosing the mascots. There are three mascots for the Olympic Winter Games, representing the three places on the Olympic podium. The mascots are the choice of the whole our country and will remain in the history of the Olympic movement: the Polar Bear, the Hare and the Leopard.

The 2014 Games will help create the first international winter sports resort in Russia, which will later be used as a training centre for Russian athletes as well as for international competitions.

The 2014 Games will help transform Sochi from a place known to Russians as a summer resort, into a year-round resort of the highest international rank. Sochi will become an example of sustainable development for other Russian cities.