The 28-year-old Vancouver 2010 individual sprint gold medallist and 2013 world champion (pictured top) was named alongside Innsbruck 2012 Winter Youth Olympic figure skating champion Elizaveta Tuktamysheva and European Championship short track speed skating podium topper Tatiana Borodulina on the Worldwide Olympic Partner's global athlete ambassador programme to promote next year's Winter Games in their native Russia.

"It's a great honour for me to be part of Samsung's initiative for Sochi 2014," said Borodulina, the 2005 European champion.

"I'm delighted to join Samsung on its campaign to promote the Olympic Movement, sport and a healthy way of life to fans around the world, and to prove through my own example, especially to the younger generation, that sport is all about believing in yourself and making it an inseparable part of your life."

Samsung unveiled other elements from its "Everyone's Olympic Games" campaign strategy, which it believes will make Sochi 2014 "the most innovative and socially accessible" Games in the history of the Winter Olympics.

One of the key initiatives is the continuation of its international Samsung Global Blogger programme, which invites bloggers from around the world to report on the Olympic Games and the events surrounding them.

Plans for a Samsung Wireless Olympic Works (WOW) communications platform that will allow the Olympic Family, including VIPs, organisers, staff and officials, to receive up-to-date information about the Games via their Samsung mobile devices were also announced.


In addition, the communication platform will be available to the public worldwide to engage sport fans across the globe and provide them with information about all of the Olympic Winter events.

"Samsung supports Sochi 2014 to be a truly social Olympic Games by enabling fans to be actively involved and share their experiences anytime, anywhere," Yung Kook Lee, vice-president and head of global sports marketing at Samsung Electronics, said.

"We also provide the most advanced wireless technology to the Olympic Family to contribute to the successful staging of the Games.

"Through our Olympic sponsorship, Samsung aims to emotionally connect with consumers and build an aspirational brand on a global level."

Sochi 2014 President and chief executive Dmitry Chernyshenko welcomed the news, saying that the initiatives will help boost the Olympic spirit.

"Samsung's Olympic Games campaign strategy, which invites and involves more people around the world to be a part of the Games, fits perfectly with our vision for Sochi 2014," he said.

"We welcome Samsung's marketing plans and expect that they will play an important role in elevating the Olympic spirit."

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