Sochi 2014 President and CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko, addressing the International Olympic Truce Foundation Board at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters May 9, promised that Russia’s first Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games being held in Sochi in 2014, will embody the Olympic Truce values of harmony, respect and friendship.
Chernyshenko said, “Sochi 2014 will see sport bringing nations together under the Olympic flag. The core Olympic truce values of harmony, respect and friendship are central to Sochi 2014 – we cannot achieve sustainable positive change without living and breathing these values.
“Everyone connected to Sochi 2014, from the President and Prime Minister downwards, is determined for the Games to encourage harmonious development in Russia, surrounding nations and throughout the world”.
In its bid Sochi 2014 pledged to reconnect the youth of Russia with the values of Olympism, said a media release. Through Sochi 2014 an innovative educational system is being developed which will feature a wide range of educational programs for all age groups in Russia and abroad. The programs are centred on the values of the Olympic Truce and will include Olympic lessons in schools with dedicated TV programs and educational web pages, multi-volume editions of the Olympic history for all schools in Russia, and national Paralympic days in Russian schools.
Chernyshenko added, “Sochi 2014 intends to use the power of the digital revolution to build upon and communicate the values of the Olympic Truce. We will create the most relevant and credible digital channels to communicate the message of friendship, respect and harmony”.
Chernyshenko said….we are introducing programs designed to further harmonize relations between different national groups. This will mean that Sochi will become an example to other Russian regions and the rest of the world of inclusiveness and inter-racial harmony”.
Meanwhile Russia’s upper house of parliament approved amendments Monday to the law on entry into and exit from Russia, which will allow Russia’s President to waive visa restrictions when required, reports RIA Novosti.
The amendments will allow the President to introduce a simplified visa regime by decree.
Konstantin Surkov, a member of the upper chamber’s committee for constitutional legislation said, “this decision making mechanism is necessary in situations that require conditions be reworked quickly to successfully implement the country’s national interests”. He added that the bill was needed for events in Russia that involve large numbers of foreign participants, in particular the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games.