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Accepting the invitations from President Rogge were Canadian Olympic Committee President Marcel Aubut, Brazilian Olympic Committee President Carlos Nuzman, the Chairman of the Korean Olympic Committee’s International Commission, Ji Young Kim, and Russian Olympic Committee President Alexander Zhukov.
“A year before the start of an Olympic Games is traditionally the time we invite the athletes of the world to take part in the Games, which are a celebration of sport, peace and humanity,” said President Rogge. “These will be the first Olympic Winter Games to be held in Russia, and the Russians are eager to welcome the world to the shores of the Black Sea and the mountains of the Caucasus. A spectacular setting with equally impressive venues await those who qualify – the perfect platform on which to compete. I wish all the athletes hoping to compete here next February all the best in their preparations.”
Sochi 2014 Organising Committee President and CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko said, “Today is a milestone day for us. In just one year’s time we will invite the whole world to Sochi and we are eager to help every guest enjoy the best winter Games in history. I believe we are pretty much where we should be at this point in time. All sports venues in the Mountain and Coastal Clusters are almost ready, and the volunteer selection process for the Sochi Games is approaching the finish line. But now is the time for us to really concentrate and to do our best during this final stage before the Games. We need to make sure that every single aspect of our preparations is aligned as we get ready for this historic event. That is why the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee has already moved into full ‘Olympic mode’ by starting large-scale operational testing of the sports venues. We recognise that it will be vital to ensure that we have perfected all the services that we will deliver for the Games.”
The ceremony, which was covered by media from around the world, featured an ice dancing performance directed by Salt Lake 2002 silver medallist Ilya Averbukh and featured a number of Russia’s most well known figure skating stars such as Irina Slutskaya, Tatiana Navka, Roman Kostomarov, Alexej Yagudin, Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin. The show brought together over 300 participants and told the story of the preparations for the Sochi 2014 Games from the moment the city was elected in 2007 to today. The celebration concluded with a spectacular firework display.
*** Bilete pentru Jocurile Olimpice de iarnă 2014 Sochi sunt acum disponibile pentru fanii olimpici prin diverse canale, în funcție de țara lor de reședință.
Tickets for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games are now available to Olympic fans through various channels depending on their country of residence.
To find out how you can apply for Olympic Games tickets, please visit the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee’s ticketing website.
Fans are reminded that only tickets purchased from or obtained through authorised sources are real, valid and will enable entry to venues. Detailed information on authorised ticket sources, in particular a list of Authorised Ticket Resellers (in Russia and internationally), is available on the official Sochi 2014 ticketing website.
Fans having purchased or obtained tickets from unofficial or unauthorised sources run the risk of a) having obtained fake tickets, b) having obtained invalidated tickets, c) having those tickets cancelled, d) being refused entry, and/or e) being asked to leave the venue, without receiving a refund or qualifying for an exchange of ticket.