Russia has endured a tumultuous 12 month period since the Games began, being internationally condemned for its intervention in Crimea and suffering recent economic woe as a consequence of financial sanctions and falling oil prices. 

The opportunity to commemorate the success of the Games will therefore have been a welcome break from these challenges, with Putin explaining today how they were "bright, memorable and really caused a surge of positive emotions".

More the 25,000 Games volunteers were recognised with awards handed out by Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov, while commemorations culminated with the unveiling of an Olympic Champions' Wall in Krasnaya Polyana.

Two triangles shaped in the Olympic-style on the Wall feature 887 star-shaped plates with the names of all 88 nations that participated at the Games, as well as the names of the winners and medallists.

A commemorative ice show event has also taken place in the Olympic Park this evening.

Sochi 2014 chief Dmitry Chernyshenko (left) alongside officials including IOC Executive Board member Rene Fasel and Sochi 2014 Coordination Commission chief Jean-Claude Killy in the Olympic Park today ©Facebook




When speaking about the impact of last year's showpiece event, Bach highlighted the groundbreaking Athletes' Village as his most enduring legacy.

"One year on, I look back fondly at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014," the German told news agency ITAR TASS.

"There were many special moments.

"A record number of people watched the Games around the world - a potential audience of 4.1 billion viewers.

"A dozen great new events made successful debuts in Sochi, including team figure skating, ski slopestyle, ski halfpipe and women's ski jumping.

"More countries - 88 - participated in Sochi than at any previous Olympic Winter Games."

"What impressed me the most, however, was the Olympic Village, where the athletes could walk to their competition venue in ten minutes.

"It was here that the athletes, for a few short weeks, showed us that another world is possible, a world where we can compete, but still respect each other, where we can be sporting rivals but still be friends."

In a message posted on the IOC website today, it is also claimed that "the positive impact of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games cannot be overstated", with tourism and sporting benefits highlighted.

But others have been more critical of how successful this legacy has actually been in practice, with reports that the Olympic Park has often been empty, with a lower than expected number of tourists descending on the Black Sea resort.

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