Sochi One Year To Go Ceremony 7 February 2013 Speech by IOC President Jacques Rogge Mr President, Distinguished Guests, Dear Russian Friends, A year from now, people from every region on earth will gather in this remarkable place where the mountains meet the sea for a global celebration of sport and Olympic values. The Olympic Winter Games are coming to Russia for the first time. The eyes of the world will soon be on Sochi. And I have no doubt that Sochi will be ready! This sports-loving nation plunged into the task of hosting the Games with total enthusiasm, and the results are easy to see. Visitors to Sochi will enjoy world-class sports venues, modern infrastructure, spectacular mountain scenery and welcoming traditional Russian hospitality. With support from the Russian people and public authorities at all levels, this city has come a very long way since Sochi earned the right to host the Games six years ago. I want to particularly thank President Putin for his strong and unwavering commitment to the success of these Games. I also want to recognize the hard work of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak and Organising Committee President Dmitry Chernyshenko, as well as the contribution made by my IOC colleagues in Russia. My thanks also to the members of our IOC Coordination Commission for these Games, and, in particular, to its chairman Jean-Claude Killy. As a three-time Olympic champion, Games organiser, and Chairman of the Torino 2006 Coordination Commission, Jean- Claude Killy knows what it takes to organize a Games and that they exist for the athletes. The athletes are the heart and soul of the entire Olympic Movement. The 2014 Games will also leave a great legacy for the Russian Federation and this region. Sochi is being reborn as an internationally known year-round resort. The “green” construction standards employed here will be replicated throughout Russia. The new infrastructure and the Olympic venues will serve elite athletes and the public for years to come, with some the venues forming a training centre for the Russian athletes. Across the Russian Federation, thousands of Games volunteers are trying to picture what it will be like to be here. Hundreds of thousands of people in Russia and around the world are planning trips of a lifetime to see the Games and thousands of athletes are wondering if their dreams will come true. We cannot predict exactly what will happen in a year’s time. But we do know that we will witness many unforgettable moments. Records will fall and new heroes will emerge. To the volunteers and all the people of Russia who have supported the Games, I say: Thank you. Spasiba Bolshoi. The world is coming to Sochi, and Sochi will be ready to welcome the world. Thank you. Spasiba. .