Meeting on Preparations for 2013 Trial Competitions at Olympic facilities in Sochi
Trial competition preparations at the Sochi Olympic facilities in 2013
Sochi will host 73 trial competitions in 15 sports in preparation for the twenty-second Olympic Games and the eleventh Paralympic Games in 2014. In 2011-2012, 27 trial competitions were held. Forty-four are scheduled for 2013, 15 of which will be broadcast abroad.
The trial competitions are held in accordance with Government Directive No 751-r dated 15 May 2010, the trial competition programme for the Olympic facilities in Sochi, covering 2011-14, and various agreements signed with international sport federations.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and international sport federations have positively assessed the trial events in 2012. However, there is a need for more accurate weather forecasts, to set up an Olympic facilities maintenance service, and to establish a road cleaning and repair service. Ten Olympic facilities and a range of infrastructure components will be tested during the trial competitions in 2013, including the Sochi international airport and the homes that have been designed for athletes.
The most important competitions in 2013 will be the International Biathlon Union's (IBU) Biathlon Cup on 4-11 March, a stage of the International Ski Federation's (FIS) Cross-Country Skiing Cup on 27 January-4 February, the finals of the IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Cup for Athletes with Locomotor Disorders and the Blind on 13-22 February, and the World Wheelchair Curling Championship on 14-24 February.
The competitions will be attended by over 3,000 athletes, 2,200 coaches and experts, 1,400 judges and 5,200 volunteers. Additionally, the competitions will attract around 80,000 spectators, over 240 vehicles will be used – including 80 buses – and over 6,500 square metres of tents and mobile buildings will be set up.
On 7 February 2013, “A Year Before the Games” will be celebrated at the grand ice arena.
Much attention will be placed on how well the barrier-free environment functions ahead of the Paralympic Games, as well as the accessibility of the Olympic facilities. The minor and the major ice arenas for hockey, the ice palace for figure-skating and short-track competitions, and the indoor skating centre fully comply with requirements. Work is presently under way on the remaining Olympic facilities.
Healthcare at the trial competitions is provided by the facilities' medical units (event medical directors and their teams), the ambulance service, and the hospital and out-patient clinic service.
Twenty-eight response scenarios have been developed to address emergency situations. Eleven will be tested within the operational readiness programme, covering event re-scheduling, the lack of snow, or an avalanche alert, among other issues.
Sochi Olympic facilities: Readiness for trial competitions
As of late 2012 December, 112 of 378 facilities were commissioned. Certain phases were commissioned in 29 additional facilities. Apart from the facilities requiring construction works, 31 operations were already finished that were not related to construction.
In the alpine cluster sports facilities, the major construction work was finished. A biathlon track, a snowboard park, a freestyle centre and an alpine centre with specially engineered protective mechanisms were commissioned (Aibga Ridge and Roza Khutor). A bob-sleigh track and a combined complex for cross-country skiing and biathlon races were partially commissioned. The complex includes a stadium building, a cottage town, and a semi-indoor shooting range. The construction should be completely finished and the facilities should be commissioned by 2013 June and October.
The majority of the construction work was completed on the sports facilities in the coastal cluster situated in the Imereti lowlands. The Figure-Skating Ice Palace, the indoor skating centre, and minor and major hockey arenas were commissioned.
Laura Cross-Country Ski and Biathlon Centre
A combined centre for cross-country skiing and biathlon races is located on the Psekhako Ridge, 6.5-10 kilometres north-east of Krasnaya Polyana. The centre is within 90 kilometres of Sochi and 60 kilometres of the Sochi airport. It is located at an altitude of 850-1,430 metres above sea level.
The centre consists of two separate stadiums with a start and a finish area, two individual track systems for cross-country skiing and biathlons, and shooting-range preparation zones for athletes. The tracks have been designed in accordance with FIS and IBU requirements.
The centre has a permanent seating capacity of 4,600 and a temporary seating capacity of 11,400. The stadium’s main building includes rooms that will host the athletes, the commenter booths, and various media facilities.
The following competitions will be held in the centre in 2013 based on the trial competition schedule:
IBU Biathlon Cup (22-27 January 2013);
Russian Cross-Country Skiing Championships (23-28 January 2013);
World Cross-Country Skiing Cup stage (27 January-4 February 2013);
Russian Cross-Country Skiing Championships for Athletes with Locomotor Disorders and the Blind (6-13 February 2013);
World Biathlon Cup Stage (4-11 March 2013);
World Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Cup for Athletes with Locomotor Disorders and the Blind (13-22 March 2013).
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