The first competition at the “Iceberg” Skating Palace in the Sochi Olympic Park takes place Saturday. The Federation Cup in figure skating is the first sporting event in the Coastal Cluster, where Olympic medals will be awarded for figure skating and short track in 2014.
Russian athletes from across the country, including world championships winners Yuko Kawaguti and Alexander Smirnov, and solo skater Artur Gachinski, will compete.
Preparation of the ice began September 25, 500 days before the Sochi 2014 Games, when special detectors were installed to record any changes in temperature. The ice for figure skaters should range from -4 to -4.5 degrees Celsius. Sensors and other automatic devices automatically control the operation of all engineering systems responsible for the ice and climate in the ice zone.
It’s the second ice test at the arena. In May 2012 a freezing test was conducted to check the cold supply systems at the venue, tested by pupils of the Sochi Winter Sports School and by Olympic ice dancing champion Tatyana Navka, a Sochi 2014 Ambassador.
