Sochi’s Olympic facilities are scheduled to host 73 events for 15 sports (98 Olympic disciplines and 4 Paralympic disciplines) as part of the preparations for the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Some 27 competitions were held in 2011-2012, while 44 competitions are scheduled for 2013, with 15 of them to be broadcasted abroad.
The test events held in 2012 were praised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and various international sports federations. Areas for improvements include providing more accurate weather forecasts, forming a service in charge of the use of Olympic facilities and the cleaning and use of roads.
During the test events, 10 Olympic sports facilities and infrastructure facilities will be inspected, including the Sochi International Airport and houses for accommodating athletes.
The most notable events of 2013 are the IBU World Cup Biathlon (March 4-11, 2013), the FIS Ski World Cup (January 27-February 4, 2013), finals of the IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Cup for athletes with spinal injuries and blind athletes (February 13-22, 2013) and the World Wheelchair Curling Championship (February 14-24, 2013).
More than 3,000 athletes, 2,200 coaches and specialists, 1,400 judges and 5,200 volunteers will take part in the competitions. Approximately 80,000 spectators are expected to attend.
On February 7, 2013, the Grand Ice Arena will host a ceremony marking one year till the start of the Games.
Special attention at the events will be paid to the functioning of handicapped-accessible areas and the accessibility of Olympic facilities on the eve of the Paralympic Games. The Small and Grand Ice Arenas for ice hockey, the Ice Sports Palace for figure-skating and short-track competitions, as well as the Covered Skating Centre fully meet the requirements. Work at other Olympic sports facilities is in progress.
Medical care at test events will be provided by the sports facilities’ medical service (medical directors of competitions and their teams), an emergency medical service, and stationary and outpatient care services.