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Winter Games Travel Sochi Russia 2014
Socci Winter Fun & Games 2014 – February 7th – 23rd, 2014
The International Olympic Committee has chosen Sochi to be the host city of the 2014 Winter Games; the first time Russia has hosted the Winter Games. With a population 329,481, Sochi is one of the smallest cities to ever host the Winter Games.
Socci, Russia
Sochi is 930 miles south of Moscow in Krasnodarsky Krai, just north of the Russia’s southern border. It stretches along the shore of the Black Sea against the backdrop of the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus Mountains, where Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, stands 18,500 feet high. France’s Mont Blanc is a mere 15,700 feet.
Sochi incorporates over 494,000 acres of forest, and houses over 30,000 plant species in its botanical gardens, parks, and nature reserves. Sochi extends 90 miles along the coast, making it the world’s second-longest, and Europe’s longest, city. The surrounding region, Krasnodarsky Krai, is home to 5.1 million people, and is Russia’s third largest region. Sochi has always been and remains one of the most popular summer resorts in Russia. It is almost the only Russian city in a subtropical location. Even without the scenic Caucasus Mountains or the pebbly and sandy beaches, the city attracts tourists for its tropical vegetation, numerous parks, monuments, and extravagant Stalinist architecture. About two million people visit Greater Sochi each summer, when the city is home to the annual film festival “Kinotavr”.
Socci Sports Venues
A total of 11 competition venues will be split between a pair of venue clusters – one coastal, one mountain – set, 29 miles from one another.
The Coastal Cluster for ice events will be in Sochi’s Imeretinskaya Valley along the Black Sea. The venues are on average around 6 km from the Olympic Village, with three of the venues less than one mile away. Bolshoi Ice Palace, Maly Ice Palace, Olympic Oval, Sochi Olympic Skating Center and the Olympic Curling Center. The Mountain Cluster will be in the Krasnaya Polyana mountains The venues are on average 2.5 miles away from the mountain-based Olympic village and include the Russian National Sliding Center, Psekhako Ridge, Roza Khutor Alpine Resort, Alpika Service Mountain Resort and the Russian National Ski-Jumping Center. The Roza Khutor alpine resort, will host all Alpine events. It will cover 560 acres with 15 lifts. The Gazprom resort on Sochi’s Psekhako Ridge, with 13 planned lifts serving 128 acres, will host the cross country skiing.
The new Sochi Olympic Stadium will be within walking distance of the Olympic Village and its capacity will be 40,000. The stadium walls and roof will be one continuous glass surface. The bowl will open to the north, allowing for a direct view of the Krasnaya Polyana Mountains, and the upper deck will open to the south with a view of the Black Sea.
Centrally located within the Olympic Park sports venues, the Medals Plaza will be near the Olympic Stadium, the Black Sea coast and the Cauldron. The stage will remain after games, allowing future visitors to stand on the stage on which the names of all the medal winners will be permanently recorded. This temporary venue will accommodate 30,000 seated and 10,000 standing spectators.
The Olympic Curling Centre will be a 3,000-seat multipurpose arena, less than one mile from the Olympic Village. After its completion, it will host all the curling events at the 2014 Winter Olympics. After the Olympics, it will remain as a sports arena.
The Olympic Skating Centre will seat 12,000 spectators and include both skating competition venues and a skating practice hall, all within 400 yards of each other. It will host the short track speed skating and figure skating events. After the Olympics it will be used as an exhibition hall.
The Sochi Olympic Oval will seat 8,000 spectators and include both skating competition venues and a skating practice hall, all within 400 yards of each other.
The Bolshoi Ice Palace will include both ice hockey competition arenas and a two-rink practice hall, all within 325 yards of each other. It will be purpose built as a state-of- the-art, world-class ice hockey, multi-sport and entertainment venue. The arena will have 12,000 seats.
The Maly Ice Palace will include both ice hockey competition venues and a practice hall, all within less than 325 yards of each other. The venue will have 7,000 permanent seats, only 115 yards from the practice hall, which will have two rinks.
The International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and the Main Press Centre will both be in the Main Media Center, planned as an integral component of the Sochi Olympic Park. This state-of-the-art exhibition and retail centre will include 50,000 sq yards of one-storey space for the IBC, while the MPC will be on two levels with 27,000 sq yards.
The National Ski Jumping Centre will feature K-90 and K 120 Olympic jumping hills, as well as three smaller jumping hills (of K-60, K-40 and K-20) for training and youth development. The venue will be within walking distance of the main spectator transport mall where buses and trains will deliver spectators to Krasnaya Polyana (approx 800 yards away). The “Mountain Live Site” will be just outside the venue with views of the Krasnaya Polyana Mountains. The venue will have temporary seating for 5,000, with terraces that will provide viewing for an additional 10,000 standing spectators.
Planned for construction in the existing Alpika Service Mountain Resort, the freestyle skiing venue has been designed to accommodate 14,000 spectators, including temporary grandstand seating for 4,000, and space for an additional 10,000 standing spectators. The spectator bus drop will be less than 50 yards from the venue entry, far closer than in recent Winter Games.
The Roza Khutor Snowboard Venue has been designed to accommodate all three snowboarding disciplines in one venue. Snowboarding is one of the most popular winter sports in Russia, so the venue will accommodate 15,000 spectators, with temporary grandstand seating for 5,000 and space for an additional 10,000 standing spectators along the courses. The venue is also easily adaptable to host ski cross.
The Roza Khutor Alpine Skiing Venue is designed to accommodate all alpine skiing disciplines, with two separate finish areas surrounded by a large, temporary grandstand that will seat 8,000 spectators; the venue has the capacity for an additional 10,000 standing spectators.
The new Russian National Sliding Centre will feature one of the longest and most challenging tracks ever designed. Advanced track shading devices will allow precise and consistent control of the track’s temperature. The venue will have 500 permanent seats, 500 temporary seats and space for 10,000 standing spectators. The Psekhako Ridge will be a combined venue offering spectacular views of the peaks of the Krasnaya Polyana Mountains. The venue will provide two separate and distinct competition areas with separate sets of tracks, start-finish zones, athlete support facilities and tribunes. The Biathlon stadium will have temporary seating for 7,000, with space for an additional 13,000 standing spectators. The cross country stadium will feature temporary seating for 5,000, with space for an additional 11,000 standing spectators.
