The Biathlon World Cup Final 2007 started yesterday in Ugra, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia

Sochi, Russia, March 15, 2007 – Sochi 2014 welcomed the start of the Biathlon World Cup Final 2007 being held in Ugra, Khanty-Mansiysk, from March 15 to 18th. The first day of international competitions brought the Russian team two grand victories – Russian biathletes won the Nations Cup[1] and received the World Cup Trophy at Relay Completion which is also known as the Small Crystal Globe[2].

As the world’s largest winter sports nation, Russia is proud to welcome numerous sports events and to demonstrate its capacity in successful organization. Sochi 2014 stands to benefit from the latest in a long history of successful events, including four major winter sports world championships and more than 100 international championships in recent years.

The Bid is excited about the potential that the Sochi 2014 innovative Games plan holds for the nation’s sporting future should it come to fruition. If Sochi is chosen to host the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the biathlon competitions will be held in Psehako Ridge, a brand new state-of-the-art venue, which will be transformed into the new Russian Winter Sports Training Centre, enabling athletes to train in the world-class facilities. This will change the region into a new premier location for international training and competition for the good of the Olympic Movement.

Dimtry Chemyshenko, CEO of Sochi 2014 commented: “Sochi 2014 has developed an extraordinary venue plan, of which delivery is already well under way. The possibilities this holds for Russia’s sports future are endless. The development of the critically-needed alpine, sliding and skijumping facilities, will help to broaden the interest and participation of Russian youth. Ultimately, the venues will provide world-class training facilities for Russian elite-level athletes and provide for the first time venues for national and international alpine competitions in Russia.”

The Biathlon World Cup Final 2007 will conclude on March 18, 2007. The Russian men’s team will be represented by a strong national contingent including Nikolay Kruglov, Sochi 2014 Sports Ambassador, Sergey Rozhkov, Ivan Cherezov, Maksim Chudov, Dmitry Yaroshenko, Philipp Shulman and Andrey Makoveev. The women’s team includes Ekaterina Yourieva, Olga Anisimova, Svetlana Sleptsova, Anna Bulygina, Tatiana Moiseyeva, Anna Sorokina, Natalia Guseva and Irina Malgina.

Ugra is also preparing to host the Biathlon World Championships 2011, illustrating Russia’s growing international knowledge and enhancing experience in hosting major winter sports competitions.