Featuring two different styles of play, the characters will be able to simulate the movements of athletes in the Olympic events, as well as perform jumps and stunts impossible in real life in the Dream events.

On April 28, 2013 the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee will bring the series of 2012-2013 season Test Events to a close with the final matches of the Ice Hockey U18 World Championship. The organizers have now staged 20 international Test Events at the 10 venues that are going to host the XXII Olympic Winter Games and the XI Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi.

At a press-conference at the "Bolshoy"    Ice Dome, the President of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, Dmitry Chernyshenko, gave his verdict on the Test Events.

The Test Events of the 2012-2013 season set a new record in terms of the number of people involved: with more than 3000 competitors, approximately 5000 volunteers, over 1500 media representatives and roughly 130,000 spectators visiting venues over the last six months.

During the Test Events, the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee successfully tested out all of the functions and services at the different venues. The Ticketing Program was put into operation resulting in a total attendance that was almost double the original forecast.

Volunteers from across Russia worked alongside the competition organizers at the Test Events, and were able to feel part of the Sochi 2014 team. Thanks to these events the volunteers have had the opportunity to fully prepare for the 2014 Games and will be able to share their experience with their colleagues from the 26 Sochi 2014 Volunteer Centers throughout Russia.

During the season, the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee completed Test Events in 15 Olympic sports disciplines: biathlon, bobsleigh, skeleton, curling, ice hockey, luge, figure skating, short track, speed skating, snowboard, freestyle skiing, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined and ski jumping.

Test Events were also held in four of the five Paralympic sports: biathlon, cross-country skiing, alpine skiing (including para-snowboarding) and wheelchair curling. The next Sochi 2014 Test Event will be the International "Four Nations" Ice Sledge Hockey Tournament, which will take place in Sochi between August 25 and September 2, 2013.

The Test Events were supported by the Sochi 2014 Partners: Coca-Cola, GE, Ingosstrakh and PwC.

Dmitry Chernyshenko, President of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, underlined:

"The third season of the pre-Olympic test events program, the biggest in the history of the Winter Games, is coming to a close. It comprised over 70 international and national competitions in all of the Olympic and Paralympic sports. We are very pleased with results. The test competitions have passed successfully, which was proved by positive feedback from many athletes, coaches, international federations’ representatives, IOC, IPC and spectators. We have efficiently overcome all the trials and can now say with confidence that we are ready to host the Games even in the most challenging conditions. The test events were organized by a large team, and I would like to thank everyone who took part in hosting them: Organizing Committee, Olympstroy, Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation, administrations of the Krasnodar region and the city of Sochi, contractors and of course our numerous volunteers who have become an integral part of our united team." 

Rene Fasel, President of the International Ice Hockey Federation:

- We have two very good arenas. I like especially the small one, it is a really typical hockey arena with seven thousand seats, it’s deeper. For sure, the big arena, the “Bolshoy”, is a typical multi-purpose arena. It’s very nice, very convenient, big, with a lot of space and very good dressing rooms. There are small details to correct but that’s why we make the test event.

Thatcher Demko (USA), goalkeeper:

- I think it’s a good tournament organization wise. I think they’ve done a good job. It’s unbelievable set-up, especially playing Russia in Russia – it seemed like all 14 thousand people were really loud. The dressing room is awesome, it’s a lot of room, we have all things that we need. We went to the Black Sea quite a bit, we went downtown a little bit, it’s been a great experience!

Ruzal Galeyev (Russia), forward:

- The arena is excellent, the conditions are outstanding: ice is good, dressing rooms are comfortable, and fans always support us and make us go forward. Unfortunately, we haven’t yet had time to see Sochi but the main thing for us here is hockey itself.

Photo gallery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43767123@N02/

Notes to the editor

The IIHF complex of venues is made up of the "Bolshoy" Ice Dome, the "Shayba" Arena, and the training arena. The venues are located in close proximity to one other, providing maximum convenience for athletes and guests of the Games.

The "Bolshoy" Ice Dome is a building with a domed roof. The design of the arena is based on the image of a frozen water drop. The dome roof is mainly silver in color.

The name of the Ice Dome highlights the characteristics of this sports venue. The "Bolshoy" (the Russian word for "big") will be one of the biggest Olympic venues, hosting events in one of the most popular sports of the Winter Olympics. At the same time, the word "Bolshoy" is understandable and familiar to people from many different countries, evoking associations with Russia – the Bolshoy Theatre, the traditions of the Russian school of ballet, figure skating, ice hockey and other achievements of the biggest country in the world.

The "Shayba" Arena is designed to look like a snowdrift. It would be impossible to imagine a game of ice hockey without a "shayba" or puck. The name precisely portrays the purpose of the venue. Also, for Russians, shouting "Shaybu!" is a universal and familiar way of showing support for hockey teams in different competitions. Therefore, this name highlights the character of the "Russian" Winter Games. 

On the 27 April 2013, Sochi became the starting point for the show which will bring together 17 Russian cities (Sochi, Astrakhan, Chita, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Ulan-Ude, Kemerovo, Barnaul, Chelyabinsk, Izhevsk, Cherepovets, Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Tolyatti, Nizhny Novgorod, Tula and Lipetsk) and unite sports and music fans.

The Red Rocks festival will give everyone the opportunity to become part of Olympic history and listen to the some of the best of contemporary musicians around.

As part of the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad, the Red Rocks festival will be held for the second year in a row. The first concert took place in Sochi in 2011, in the mountains of Krasnaya Polyana where the idea for the Red Rocks project was first conceived.

In 2013, the Red Rocks tour promises to delight music fans with a great line-up. On April 27, world-famous Latvian band Brainstorm, Russian rock band TOKIO and group Gradusy performed on the stage of the sea port in the center of Sochi. British group Morcheeba headlined the festival.

President of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, Dmitry Chernyshenko:

"We are grateful to our General Partner Sberbank, for helping us to put on this festival. The Red Rocks project has become the pride of the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad. This year, the show will bring together thousands of people across Russia and will serve to build momentum as we edge closer to the Games."

Stanislav Kuznetsov, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of OAO "Sberbank of Russia":

"Here at Sherbank, we believe it’s important to support projects that bring the country together. The Winter Olympic Games is a great event for Russia. The Red Rocks Festival has made it possible for everyone to participate in the Olympic Movement, providing a celebration for residents of Russian cities and involving them in the Fans' Anthem."

The Red Rocks festival will visit 17 cities in Russia and will end in mid-September 2013. The festival route was mapped out to cover all regions of the country.

Note to the editor

The Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad

2013 - The Year of the Museum

The fourth year of the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad is dedicated to museums. As always, the organizers of the Winter Games will present the public with cultural events. They include: Exhibitions, shows, competitions, festivals, and special exhibitions, forums, workshops and educational programs that will be held throughout the country.

The Year of the Museum will include a large number of exhibitions of Russian and foreign art, in both public and private museums. At the exhibitions, visitors will be able to take a close look at some of the masterpieces of classical and contemporary art, in all genres. In addition, as part of the Cultural Olympiad, there will be theatrical screenings, concerts, and other creative activities.

The Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad is a unique project by the organizers of the Games, offering the best cultural events in the country. In 2014, visitors to the Olympic host city will be able to admire not only the sports competitions, but also Russia's cultural diversity, at dozens of special sites located in Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana. Since 2010 the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, along with other regions, has been carefully selecting the best that Russian culture has to offer.

Between 2010 and 2014, thousands of diverse cultural events will take place throughout the country. Each year of the Cultural Olympiad is dedicated to a particular art form: 2010 was the Year of the Cinema, 2011 - the Year of the Theater, 2012 - the Year of Music, and 2013 is the Year of the Museum.

The nationwide scale of the project will make it possible to get every resident of the country involved in this grand celebration of culture, whilst preserving and increasing the cultural riches of our country. You can keep track of all the events in the Cultural Olympiad at the following site: www.culture.sochi2014.com

The OAO "Sberbank of Russia" is a major Russian bank that owns approximately one third of the assets of the Russian banking sector. The founder and main shareholder of OAO "Sberbank of Russia" is the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, which owns 50% of the authorized capital and one voting share. Other shareholders of the bank are international and Russian investors. More than 100 million individuals and approximately 1 billion businesses use the services of Sberbank. The bank has the largest branch network in Russia with more than 18,000 departments and internal structural divisions. The bank's foreign network comprises bank subsidiaries, branches and representative banks in 20 countries, in the CIS, Central and Eastern Europe, and Turkey.

OAO "Sberbank" is the General Partner of the XXII Olympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi.

The Bank of Russia's general license for carrying out banking activities is 1481. Official website of the bank - www.sberbank.ru

Red Rocks is a wide-scale music project that aims to get as many people in Russia involved in the Olympic Movement.

The idea for the project originated in the mountains of the Krasnaya Polyana where the Olympic competitions will take place.

The first festival, which has become a real cultural event for the region's tourists and residents, took place in 2011, 1500 meters above sea level, and was sponsored by Sberbank. This unique festival, in which well-known artists participated, has brought even more attention to the host city of the Sochi 2014 Games.

Having received the status of participant in the Cultural Olympiad, Red Rocks continued to grow, launching a massive tour of 40 Russian towns in 2012 with the aim of creating a people's anthem for the Sochi 2014 fans.

Red Rocks did not miss out on the majestic events of summer 2012 and organized concerts to support the Russian Olympic team in London.

Shawn Bullock – Team leader, Canada: "It’s a fantastic facility, amazing, very clean hotel, incredible amenities there when it comes to work out: gyms, pool, tennis center, bowling alley. Really amazing hotel. Again, the people are very friendly, accommodating to meet any of our needs."

Bill Hall – Team leader, USA: "Nice hotel, accommodations are fine, the food is good."

Boris Dlugach – General manager, Russia: "I have been to several World Championships and I can assure you that the conditions here, for guys of this age, are absolutely remarkable. The restaurant is open literally round-the-clock, the catering is wonderful, and as for the open buffet – what more can I say. Everyone's happy with the service, including the foreign teams – you can see that by how often they like to come in and eat here. The conditions in the hotel are fantastic – there's a great sports and fitness gym, an outstanding pool, and in general the hotel's grounds are really well-kept."

Arto Sihvonen – Team leader, Finland: "It’s very comfortable, the rooms are very nice and clean. The service in the hotel is excellent, the food is excellent, it’s a perfect hotel for us. We use the facilities nearby, beside the hotel as well, like the judo and wrestling center, inside we do our maintenance there."

Otakar Cerny – Team manager, Czech Republic: "I think the hotel is pretty good because the accommodation, the food – both are very good, so we are satisfied."

Notes to the editor

The IIHFcomplex of venues    is made up of the "Bolshoy"   Ice Dome, the "Shayba"    Arena, and the training arena. The venues are located in close proximity to one other, providing maximum convenience for athletes and guests of the Games.

The "Bolshoy"   Ice Dome is a building with a domed roof. The design of the arena is based on the image of a frozen water drop. The dome roof is mainly silver in color.

The name of the Ice Dome highlights the characteristics of this sports venue. The "Bolshoy" (the Russian word for "big") will be one of the biggest Olympic venues, hosting events in one of the most popular sports of the Winter Olympics. At the same time, the word "Bolshoy" is understandable and familiar to people from many different countries, evoking associations with Russia – the Bolshoy Theatre, the traditions of the Russian school of ballet, figure skating, ice hockey and other achievements of the biggest country in the world.

The "Shayba"   Arena is designed to look like a snowdrift. It would be impossible to imagine a game of ice hockey without a "shayba" or puck. The name precisely portrays the purpose of the venue. Also, for Russians, shouting "Shaybu!" is a universal and familiar way of showing support for hockey teams in different competitions. Therefore, this name highlights the character of the "Russian" Winter Games.

At the seminar which took place in Sochi on April 23, participants discussed sustainable development as a global concept as well as the economic, environmental and social demographic requirements to ensure development is sustainable. They also discussed the necessary steps to be taken today so that by 2050, with a global population of 9 billion people and dwindling resources, people can be ensured a good quality of life. In the second part of the seminar, participants discussed the everyday practical steps that each person can carry out in order to bring a personal contribution to the sustainable development of Sochi and the planet as a whole.

Sochi 2014 is one of the first large-scale national projects in Russia to be carried out within the framework of sustainable development. The Organizing Committee has stated its objective to make the best possible use of the opportunities created by the Olympic project, to ensure the prosperity of the city of Sochi, the Krasnodar region and all of Russia.

Ahead of the Games, activities related to sustainable development are being carried in the following six areas: Healthy lifestyle, Harmony with Nature, World without barriers, Economic Flourishing, Modern Technologies, and Culture and National Values. The Organizing Committee is already highlighting successes in these areas including the creation of 560,000 jobs, the use of environmentally-sensitive technologies and introduction of "green" building standards. Sochi itself has been transformed into a model city for the construction of a barrier-free environment. The best practices and experiences gained during the preparations for the Games are designed to be shared with the whole country.

Notes to the Editor

The Olympic Movement has fully embraced the principles of sustainable development. In 1994, the Games in Lillehammer were the first to focus on environmental principles. In 2010, the Games in Vancouver were the first to be organized entirely on the basis of sustainable development. In the summer of 2012, London hosted the first "sustainable" Games.

According to the definition of sustainable development provided by the UN in 1987, sustainable development is the "development that satisfies the needs of the present, whilst not putting at risk the ability of future generations to satisfy their own needs." For modern society this topic seems new but has in fact been of great relevance for some time. In order to grasp the urgency of the issue, it should suffice to mention that over the past 100 years, the Earth's population has tripled, the use of electricity has increased by 12, yet 500 million people do not have access to fresh water. Here is an interesting fact: In 1960, the human population only needed 0.6 of the planet's resources in order to satisfy its needs. In 2020, we will need 2 planets. It is indeed possible to live a good life without threatening the development of the planet but only if we respect the principles of sustainable development at all levels.