Putin was speaking after festive events were held across Russia’s Winter Sports Day, which marked the second anniversary of the Games beginning in the city.

It was claimed that more than one million people participated in events organised throughout the country, on the second edition of what has become a national holiday.

“In many regions, thousands of people of all ages, professions and hobbies go skiing, skating, play hockey, go down Alpine routes,” Putin said, according to the Kremlin Press Service.

“From amateur sports grew our outstanding champions, whose triumph we witnessed at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2014.

"Exactly two years ago the Olympic flame went on in Sochi, all the country had been preparing for the event, and we are proud to have organised the best Olympic Games in history.

“We made unique sports facilities, modern transport, resort and leisure infrastructures.

"Thanks to that devoted work the Winter Games were organised at that highest level and left the unique heritage, which the people will be using for many years on.”

Around 400 sporting events have taken place in Sochi since the Games drew to a close, it is claimed, while a further 180 are due to be held throughout 2016.

The third staging of Formula One's Russian Grand Prix is one of the major spectacles due to be held this year, with organisers forced to dismiss claims, last June, that the company behind the event had been declared bankrupt.

Britain’s world champion Lewis Hamilton won both the 2014 and 2015 races at the Sochi Autodrom, located on the Olympic Park, which will remain on the Formula One calendar until at least 2020.

The Fisht Olympic Stadium, which hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games ceremonies, has been selected to stage matches at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov has stated that the city has become one of the most popular resorts in the country following the Games.

"Sochi has become a city of events tourism - every year we host up to 200 various events,” he told TASS.

"In 2015, the city budget’s expenses on maintaining the Olympic infrastructures topped almost 660 million rubles (£5.9 million/$8.5 million/€7.6 million).

“Clearly, the infrastructures do not only require expenses from the budget, but also added to the revenues in bigger tax returns.

“The revenues from hotels and accommodation facilities exceeded 650 million rubles (£5.8 million/$8.3 million/€7.5 million), thus having shown 102 per cent growth year-on-year."

Sochi has been tipped as a host of the 2019 European Games, which are set to be awarded to Russia, although the country's achievements at the Winter Olympics have been overshadowed by allegations of state-sponsored doping.