The people making the Games

The Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee

The Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee was created on October 2, 2007, soon after the successful completion of the Bidding phase. It was founded by the Russian Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy, and the city of Sochi’s Administration. Dmitry Chernyshenko is the President and CEO of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee;

The Organizing Committee coordinates the process of interaction between the Russian and International agencies involved in the preparations for the Games, and also realizes the marketing potential of the Games;

The Organizing Committee is divided into 11 sections, which cover 55 key Functions for the preparation and hosting of the Games, including: Construction, Finances, Logistics, Education, Environment, Accommodation, Culture and so on;

As of the beginning of February 2013, the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee consists of more than 1,250 staff members. The workforce will increase to 1,800 permanent and 8,400 temporary staff members by 2014;

The IOC Worldwide Partners who have signed agreements relating to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games are:
Coca-Cola, AtoS, Dow Chemical, General Electric, McDonald's, OMEGA, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, Samsung and Visa.

The Sochi 2014 General Partners are: 
Aeroflot Russian Airlines, MegaFon, Russian Railways, Rostelecom, Rosneft, Sberbank of Russia, Volkswagen Group Rus and BOSCO Sport.

Ingosstrakh, Sportloto and PricewaterhouseCoopers Russia B.V. are Partners of the 2014 Games. 

Avaya, Jet Set Sports, Ottobock, Baltika, Kommersant Publishing House and EF English First are Official Suppliers of Sochi 2014.

Abrau Durso, Adecco Group, Exect Business Training, Detech, Kelly Services, Microsoft Rus, Russian Buses - GAZ Group, Scania Rus, CROS Public Relations & Public Affairs Company, Klinsk Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Contemporary Services Company – International, Karcher, Kaspersky Lab, Life Fitness, World Class, CTS Eventim AG are Suppliers of the 2014 Games. 

Since the launch of the marketing program in 2009, the Organizing Committee has attracted about $1.3 billion dollars of financial investment, three times more than the Bid Book obligations. This is currently a record figure for the organizers of Winter Games.

Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee is currently in active negotiations with leading companies in the Russian and world market, confirming open categories for Partners and Suppliers.

Volunteers

The Training Program for Olympic volunteers is one of the largest projects undertaken by Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee. In July 2010, at the third and final reading, the State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted a number of amendments to existing legislation intended to increase the efficiency of the organization and staging of the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In particular, thanks to an initiative by the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, the concept of a "volunteer of the Games" has been fixed in law, allowing the regulation of administrative issues connected with voluntary work at large international events. For example, the procedures for foreign volunteers to enter and stay in Russia have been simplified. Also, any in-kind income received by the volunteers will be tax free;

Today, between 2% and 9% of the Russian Federation's population are involved in volunteer activities, depending on the region, compared to 33% in the UK, and 35% in Canada. This demonstrates the growth potential for the volunteer movement in Russia;

The XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi will involve 25,000 volunteers: about 12,000 general volunteers, 8,000 professional volunteer working in special branches and about 5,000 sports volunteers.

For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the selection and training of the volunteers will take place in 26 volunteer centers based in 14 Russian regions, allowing anyone become part of the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Foreign citizens can also become volunteers at the Olympics. Altogether, the volunteers make up about 35% of the total number of Games personnel;

Volunteers will support the Games in 17 fields, from meeting delegations at the airport to helping in the organization of the Closing Ceremony. Also, approximately 3,000 volunteers trained in the city of Sochi will help visitors find their way between the venues and provide a warm and hospitable welcome;

The success of Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee in developing of the volunteer movement has already received international recognition. At the 2011 Global Sports Forum in Barcelona, the second award ceremony was held for the Global Sports Forum Trophy for the most innovative and effective sports projects.

Dmitry Chernyshenko, President and CEO of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, received the special Juan Antonio Samaranch prize for "the development of volunteer projects" and the Sochi 2014 volunteer program;

While at the 2012 Games in London, the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee formed a team of 104 volunteers, 80 of whom were involved in the Olympics, and 24 - at the Paralympic Games. All volunteers passed the necessary training to work at the Games at special training sessions in Moscow and just before the Games in London.

Sochi 2014 volunteers worked side by side with their London counterparts, gaining unique experience, which would then be transferred the volunteers of the 26 volunteer centers across Russia;

Candidates to become Sochi 2014 volunteers are growing in number - from the successful launch of the massive recruitment campaign on February 7, 2012, the Organizing Committee received more than 160,000 applications.

Sochi 2014 Ambassadors

Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee has continued to successfully implement the Sochi 2014 Ambassador Program, which is aimed at promoting all aspects of the Olympic project, the Olympic and Paralympic values, young athletes, athletes with disabilities and a healthy lifestyle in general;

As part of the preparations for the first Olympic Winter Games to be held in Russia, hundreds of social events are being held, covering education, environment, culture and sustainable development. The ambassadors take part in hundreds of Organizing Committee’s events intended to preserve a positive post-Olympic legacy in Russia;

Sochi 2014 Ambassadors include prominent athletes, cultural figures, artists and even travelers! Acting as role models for millions of people, they actively promote the Sochi 2014 project and its values;

The number of Ambassadors is constantly growing. As of February 2013, there are 38 of them;

Sochi 2014 Ambassadors include: international hockey star Alexander Ovechkin, famous figure skaters and Russian idols Tatyana Navka, Irina Slutskaya and Evgeny Plushenko, rising skating star Ivan Skobrev, medal-winning gymnast and active public figure Svetlana Khorkina, and Paralympic athletes, prominently led by Olesya Vladykina, Paralympic champion in Beijing.

Also, acting as Sochi 2014 Ambassadors - the famous Kuban Cossack Choir in full force, and famous actors, musicians and directors: Yuri Bashmet and Valery Gergiev, Valery Syutkin and Andrei Makarevich, Dima Bilan and Diana Gurtskaya, and the famous film director and actor Fyodor Bondarchuk;

The Ambassadors actively support important events and projects of the Olympic and Paralympic Games: "Russky Dom Sochi 2014" in Vancouver, Russia.Sochi.Park in London, the Sochi 2014 mascot competition, the "1000 Days to Go" events, annual Cultural Olympiad events, and also Environmental, Educational, and Volunteer Programs.