Not even 1000 days until the Olympic Winter Games
2014 in southern Russia - in Sochi. After Vancouver
2010 the Winter Olympics will take place in a city
by the sea for the second time in a row.
Late May, high-ranking members of the IOC visited
the venues to see the progress of the construction
work. Of course nothing shall be left to chance
when Russia hosts the Winter Games for the first
time and so they have national and international
experts within their teams in order to build the
necessary infrastructure at the ski slopes, cross-country
tracks and ski jumping hills.
Olympic fever can be felt already
Jean-Claude Killy, former world class alpine skiier
and now chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission
for Sochi, acknowledged "great progress"
by the Russians. According to his statement the
plans are slowly taking shape. "Sochi 2014
brings its visions to life. We could already feel
the Olympic-fever in the city", the French
said during his visit.
On May 14th - exactly 1000 days before the opening
on February 7th, 2014, a countdown-clock was installed
in the city. "This clock h will always remind
us that this great country will soon host the whole
world and its best winter sport athletes",
said Killy.
Late May also FIS race direcor Walter Hofer and
the FIS coordinator for nordic combined, Lasse Ottesen
from Norway, travelled to Sochi. They wanted to
get an impression of the construction of the ski
jumping hill in Krasnaya Polyana.
Construction of the hill under aesthetical and
operational aspects
The FIS aspects met civil engineers, planers and
representatives of the Russian ski association.
Construction at the hill is currently underway concerning
operational resp. technical and also aesthetical
aspects. For example the spaces for the commentators
boxes, video walls and the athletes' village were
defined.
Hofer and Ottesen saw great progress on the construction
site at the hill. The facility has to be finished
already in the 2012/13 season when the World Cup
will be held there as a test for the Olympic Games.
Record of 92 events
At the Games in Russia six disciplines will make
their Olympic debut, among them also women's ski
jumping. So there will be the record number of 92
medal events in 2014.
