Olympic Newsdesk - Sochi 2014 Torch Relay; Vancouver 2010 Impact

Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Details

Organizers of the Sochi 2014 Winter Games have revealed more details of the torch relay they claim will be the longest and most spectacular in Olympic history.

Beginning on Oct. 7, 2013 in Moscow, the 123-day relay will visit the capitals of all 83 entities of the Russian Federation before the lighting ceremony at the opening of the Games on Feb. 7, 2014.

In recent months, 2014 organizers had revealed only the length – 40,000km – of the Olympic flame's journey around Russia and plans to visit the world’s deepest lake, Lake Baikal, and Europe's highest mountain, Mount Elbrus. Plans are also afoot to take the Olympic torch into space.

Now Sochi 2014 president and CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko has offered more details on the flame's journey to Russian media. Its journey around Russia will include four stages.

Once the Olympic flame has arrived in Moscow from Athens, where it is first lit, it heads to St. Petersburg. On this 23-day stage route, the torch will visit 15 cities in the Central and North Western Federal Districts, The Voice of Russia reports.

Next stop is Vladivostok to start a 30-day trip across the Russian North and the Far East, covering 14 cities as well as some of the most inaccessible areas of Russia.

After returning to Vladivostok, the flame will begin a 58-day trek to the Kalmykian capital Elista, allowing residents of 45 cities to catch a glimpse of the Olympic torch.

On its final stage, a motor rally is planned to take the torch to 10 cities in the south of Russia before it reaches Sochi.

Chernyshenko's comments came after a meeting of the Sochi 2014 Supervisory Board on Tuesday.

Chaired by Alexander Zhukov, Russian Olympic Committee president and deputy prime minister of Russia, members praised Chernyshenko and his 2014 organizing committee for progress on Games plans and the organization of the sixth visit of the IOC Coordination Commission to Sochi.

In other Sochi news, reports from Russia say the Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit in Sochi will only be completed after the 2014 Games.

The $190 million track that will host Formula 1 races from 2014 through 2020 will be constructedin the vicinity of the coastal Olympic Park. Soon after the Games are finished, the tarmac surface will be laid. The 5.9km circuit is expected to accommodate about 80,000 spectators.

Vancouver 2010 Helped Economy, Says Study

A study on the 2010 Winter Olympics shows that Vancouver and Canada benefited economically from the mega-event.

The report indicates that the Games contributed about $49 million in tax revenues to the public sector. Real estate prices in the areaalso increased due to the Winter Olympics.

"The sense of pride that swept up our nation was a turning point in our nation’s history. The Games injected millions into the local economy and great strides have been made in making these events more environmentally sound," said Canadian Olympic Committee president Marcel Aubut in a release about the study.

Conducted by the University of British Columbia, the report looks at economic, social and environmental conditions in the region and will be released in four stages. A final report slated for 2013 will examine the long-term impact of the Games.

This release looked specifically at the impact during the Games themselves and can be viewed here.

Sudanese Runner Supports Doha 2017

Doha adds Abubaker Kaki Khamis to the list of athletes supporting its bid to host the 2017 IAAF World Championships.

"A World Championships in Doha will be a big step forward in taking Athletics to other new regions around the world," said Kaki.

"If Doha is chosen there will be so many youth worldwide who in the future will be able to realise a dream that previously would never have been possible."

The Sudanese runner won a silver medal in the 800 meters at the 2011 world championships in Daegu. He also won gold in Doha at the IAAF indoor world champs last year.

New Speakers for ASPIRE4SPORT

British Formula 1 star Damon Hill will speak in Doha next month during the sport business conference ASPIRE4SPORT.

During the four-day gathering from Nov. 12 to 15, Hill will take part in a Formula 1 panel with Frank Williams, founder of the Williams F1 racing team, and driver Rubens Barrichello.

There will also be a football panel on Nov. 15 with Fabio Cannavaro, captain of Italy’s 2006 World Cup winning team, and head coach Marcelo Lippi.

"We are pleased to be bringing togetherthese highly-respected masters of the game to discuss football. Their experiences will provide a unique insight into how we can continue to inspire top level performance and leadership in football," said ASPIRE4SPORT executive director Ward Abdallah.

Figure Skating First

U.S. figure skater Brandon Mroz is the world's first athlete to land a quadruple Lutz in competition.

The International Skating Union officially recognized and confirmed Wednesday the jump Mroz completed during his short program last month at the Colorado Springs Invitational, a U.S. Figure Skating sanctioned competition.

The Lutz is a toepick-assisted jump into which a skater enters from the back outside edge of one foot and lands on the back outside edge of the other.

Click here for video of the record-setting feat.

Media Watch

Rod Mickleburgh of The Globe and Mail writes that British Columbia’s supposed tourism boom in the wake of Vancouver 2010 has turned into nothing more than a "damp squib".

Reported by Mark Bisson and Ann Cantrell

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