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Russia's progress towards becoming an international winter sports hub through the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games was recognized yesterday as FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup Chief Race director Gunter Hujara arrived in Moscow to present the competition program for the forthcoming season.

Gunter Hujara said:

“When in Sochi I was surprised by the progress of construction in the Mountain cluster. There is no doubt that ski venues in Sochi will be at the highest world level. Russian athletes always show great results in winter sports competitions. The victory of Sochi’s Bid gave Russia a chance to become one of the world centers for winter sports, and the most innovative venues are being constructed.”

The 2014 Games have stimulated major interest in Russia among international sports federations, and Russia will host a number of major international races this winter for the very first time. The first of these will be an unprecedented FIS Alpine World Cup promotional event in the parallel slalom, for which a unique and imposing site in the Vorobievy Mountains is being constructed. The facility will be 150 meters long, 36 meters wide and 60 meters high, and will allow more than 10,000 people to watch the action from a special viewing platform.

This winter sports season will also mark the first time a European Cup event in the half-pipe snowboarding discipline is held in Moscow, while a leg of the European Cup in snowboard will also take place in Tver.

Sochi 2014 President and CEO, Dmitry Chernyshenko, said:

“The Sochi 2014 Games are a unique project. While the results of our work will only be fully visible in 2014 when the Olympic flame is lit in the Sochi stadium, throughout the preparations for Sochi 2014 we will see a series of positive changes that will be clear to everyone in Russia. Russia's regular hosting of major international alpine skiing competitions will be one such significant change.”

“We work closely with the FIS in recognition of its expertise and authority in both the planning and construction of alpine skiing courses. Their recommendations will assist Sochi's development of state-of-the-art winter sports venues as we move towards 2014.”

Sochi 2014 is working closely with the FIS in readiness for its alpine skiing test event program, which begins in 2012. This will enable Russian athletes to prepare for the Games in the very venues in which they will be competing in 2014.

(Source: Sochi 2014)