NEWS FROM THE SOCHI 2014 PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES

The Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games will be officially represented at the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, reminding all visitors of what to expect four years ahead on the calendar.

Bonn, Germany - Today, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Co-ordination Commission for the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games concluded its second visit to the Russian host city.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) today completed its first Project Review of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, which took place from 27-29 April in Moscow, Russia.

Deputies from Russia’s State Duma and representatives of leading public organizations recently discussed Russia’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, in preparation for the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. The meeting demonstrates the intensive work being brought into Russia’s national legislation toward further alignment with international standards.

On 7 March, the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games celebrated the five-year Countdown to the Sochi Paralympic Winter Games with the launch of an Accessibility Programme that is aiming to create an accessible city that will be a model for all cities in Russia to follow.

With the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games little over a year away, the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee (Sochi 2014) is beginning to gather their official support team.

The 4th Cinema Without Barriers International Film Festival will be including for the first time the category, People with a Disability in Sport, into its festival programme in Moscow. The aim of this new addition was to attract public attention to the problems that people with a disability face in their daily lives.

The Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games recently announced the introduction of IOC and IPC standards to Russia's national legal system. A new law assuring the status of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games was drafted in Russia's State Duma on 28 October.

Bonn, Germany - Today, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Co-ordination Commission for the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games concluded its first visit to the Russian host city.

Yesterday, a delegation from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) concluded a one-day Paralympic Orientation Workshop with the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

For the first time after Sochi’s election to host the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) CEO Xavier Gonzalez and IPC Fundraising and Sponsorship Director Sergio Furman visited the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee in Moscow, Russia.

Yesterday, the composition of the IOC Co-ordination Commission for the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games was announced.