IPC meets with Sochi 2014 at Co-ordination Commission

“The organising committee is well on its way to creating the foundations for great sport and we are excited to see a preview of that at the test events next year.”

Members of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) took part in the IOC Co-ordination Commission meeting for the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games last week (9-11 October), taking time to discuss in detail the Paralympic test events planned for 2013.

IPC Governing Board Member Miguel Sagarra and members of the Sochi 2014 IOC Co-ordination Commission, IPC CEO Xavier Gonzalez and IPC Paralympic Games Integration Director Thanos Kostopoulos attended the meetings.

The IOC Co-ordination Commission reviews the progress of organising committees on a regular basis and includes also a Paralympic working group and Paralympic topics.

During last weeks’ Paralympic working group, Sochi 2014 Organising Committee members discussed the objectives, dates, operations and services that will be tested at the alpine, nordic, snowboard and ice sledge hockey events in Sochi next year.

Snowboard will be the first test event from 4-6 March, followed by alpine skiing from 7-12 March and Nordic skiing from 14-21 March. Ice sledge hockey will have its test event from 26 August – 1 September.

Gonzalez said: “The organising committee is well on its way to creating the foundations for great sport and we are excited to see a preview of that at the test events next year.”

Transportation plans, location of the medals plaza, barrier-free environment issues, spectator attendance, awareness programmes and city administration activities were also discussed in the working group.

The Sochi 2014 Games will run from 7-14 March 2014 with five sports on the programme: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice sledge hockey and wheelchair curling. Snowboard will be a discipline within the alpine skiing programme for the first time at the Paralympics.