Sochi 2014 launched its international campaign Monday and unveiled its corporate identity and slogan “Sochi 2014: Gateway to the Future”, at a press conference held simultaneously in Sochi and Moscow. There were also briefings in several countries around the world.
During the launch Sochi 2014 highlighted three strengths it says that should allow Russia to host the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games for the first time in Rusia’s 50-year history as a leading Winter Olympic power.
Bid officials said Sochi’s 2014 bid offers a compact Games with brand-new, state-of-the-art facilities designed specifically to meet the needs of today’s and future athletes and the Olympic Family. Construction of all the facilities has been guaranteed by the Russian Government as part of its commitment to the economic development of the region. Work on some of the infrastructure, which would support the 2014 Games should Sochi be selected host city, has already started.
Sochi 2014 says the Games would serve as a catalyst of the social and economic development of the Sochi region, helping to launch its renaissance as a world-class, year-round resort. The Games would also establish Sochi as Russia’s first national winter sports destination, to be used for the training of Russia’s elite athletes.
According to a Sochi 2014 media release the Games would also set a gold standard in the country’s approach to environmental issues, demonstrating how environmental protection and sustainability can be an integral and beneficial part of major development projects.
Sochi 2014 promises an unforgettable experience for the athletes, the spectators, and all participants in the Games.
Under the proposal the Associated Press reports that all indoor sports would be in a cluster of facilities near Adler, where the airport is located, with double-track rail connections built to the ski areas about 25 miles away. Accommodations would primarily be in Sochi.
Dmitry Chernyshenko, Sochi 2014 CEO said, “we have called our bid ‘Gateway to the Future’ to underscore the great legacy of these Games in Russia. However, wrapped in the promise of this legacy is the promise of a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the athletes, the Olympic Family and all those who come here should Sochi win the honour of being selected as host for the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games”.
The Associated Press reports that Sochi appears to have much greater high-level political and financial support than Moscow did during its failed 2012 Summer Games bid when Moscow finished last in the five-city vote won by London.
Russian IOC member and former Olympic swimming champion Alexander Popov said, “the Moscow bid had its ups and downs, maybe more downs than ups. We have learned from our mistakes. We now have vertical support – from top to bottom”.
