IOC Olympics Chief Says Sochi En Route to "Innovative" Games

(ATR) Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli says the Sochi 2014 Winter Games will be "innovative and leave their mark on history".

He made the comments at Wednesday's closing press conference of the ninth Coordination Commission visit to the Black Sea resort. Just one more remains (Sept. 24-26) between now and the opening ceremony of the Games on Feb. 7.

"In some sense, it makes us sad," said Felli. "On the other side, it's absolutely extraordinary the trip we have made in the last six years in the heart of Russia."

He noted that with a little less than a year to go, the same issues for all organizing committees are present in Sochi, specifically how to cope with accommodations, logistical challenges and the spectator experience.

"I am convinced that Sochi 2014 and all partners will continue delivering impressive results," he said.

Joining the Coordination Commission for the visit, which started on Monday, were the heads of the seven international federations for winter Olympic sports.

Felli said they were able to inspect Sochi now that the host city was put through the ringer by test events.

"Over the past five months, a great deal of events have been held at 10 competition venues with 4,500 coaches and athletes," Felli said, noting the "great success" of the test events.

"We’ve tested the operation model and it’s a great indicator of the ever-growing interest. I fully feel the preparedness of the organizing committee."

A statement from the IOC stressed the importance of the test events for Sochi 2014.

"Building on the success of the final winter of testing – including sustaining good communications with all stakeholders – is essential for the local Organizing Committee as it transitions into the implementation phase," the statement said.

Coordination Commission chair Jean-Claude Killy added: "We’ve witnessed a very high standard of testing across the board and this has been accompanied by positive feedback from athletes, as well as the International Federations who have been with us here this week."

Kozak: Large Amount of Work Remains

Dmitry Kozak, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, said a large amount of work remains for the 2014 Olympics.

"We still have a lot of things to do," he said during his opening remarks Wednesday.

"We still need to finish the construction of the Olympic infrastructure project, we need to finalize the city modernization project – an even more large-scale project than the Olympic Games themselves – and resolve a multitude of organizational issues."

He said that the IOC’s assistance over the years was invaluable. "If it were not for the constructive, friendly advice," he said "most probably we would have committed more mistakes compared to the mistakes we already committed."

Sochi Signs Medal Partner

Russian jeweler Adamas will make around 1,300 medals for the Olympics.

Just before the closing press conference for the Coordination Commission, Sochi 2014 announced the deal.

Adamas will produce the largest number of Winter Olympic medals ever.

"We are extremely proud of the fact that the medals which will pass through the hands of our company's master jewelers are going to be the symbol of victory at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi in 2014," said Andrei Sidorenko, Adamas Chairman. "Russia's gold has long enjoyed worldwide renown, as has the history of Russian sport."

Written by Ed Hula III.

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