He said that every sport venue is fully prepared and tested and that the new road and rail routes are ready to transport visitors.

He also said that rehearsals for the Opening Ceremony are "well underway".

"Athletes, coaches and the media have all received their official accreditations and are gearing up to travel to Sochi, where our volunteers and staff will give them the warmest of welcomes," Chernyshenko added.

"Sochi will be a truly memorable Games, where the world's greatest winter athletes will compete against a stunning backdrop of the Black Sea coast and snowy mountain peaks that will amaze audiences across the world.

"While today we focus on the Games and some wonderful sport, it is highly rewarding to see Sochi's new year-round resort which forms part of the legacy of the Games that will transform the region for generations."

His comments came as the Main Media Centre for the Olympics and Paralympics was officially opened.

Sochi 2014 has officially opened the Main Media Centre for the Olympics and Paralympics ©Sochi 2014


The two-storey facility, located near to the Olympic Park and has a total area seven times that of Moscow's Red Square, houses the International Broadcasting Centre and is expected to welcome more than 2,000 accredited members of the international press, as well as 6,000 television and radio broadcasters from 70 countries.

The media and photography operations rooms, in which Olympic competitions will be broadcast, are designed to accommodate 500 and 100 workspaces respectively, while an additional office will house 43 international news agencies.

With up to 18 press conferences expected per day during the peak period, four halls within the MMC have been allocated to their hosting.

The Pushkin Hall features 465 places, Tolstoy has 220 places, Dostoevsky has 140, and Chekhov has 50, while language translations of the conferences will be available in Russian, English, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Sochi 2014 press information desks will also be located in the MMC, as well as food courts and a so called "Main street", with a bank, post office, pharmacy, laundry and dry cleaning services, a supermarket, a Sochi 2014 store, an Internet cafe, a gym and a newsstand.

As first reported in 2012, Sochi 2014 will be the first Olympics and Paralympics in history to provide free Wi-Fi for the press.

Sochi 2014 will be the first Olympics and Paralympics in history to provide free Wi-Fi for the press ©Sochi 2014


The media will also be able to access the My Info+ system, which will include information on schedules, competition results, news, interviews with athletes, biographies, statistics and facts for each sport, reviews of press conferences and transcripts of daily briefings by the IOC and Sochi 2014.

While this is free, there is, however, a paid for service available for those requiring higher internet speeds for working with data and digital media.

This "Olympic Internet package" will cost 4,000 rubles (£73/$120/€88) and provides access to both Wi-Fi and a cable station.

While around the clock access to the International Broadcasting Centre is already available to broadcasters, the MMC will be open to the press from 8am to 11pm from now until January 23, and will open 24 hours a day, seven days a week from January 24 to February 24.

It will also be open from 8am to 10pm on February 25 and 26.

Meanwhile, in terms of access, a walk from the MMC to the farthest venue in the Coastal Cluster takes less than 10 minutes, while a media shuttle will take passengers from the Coastal to the Mountain Cluster within 40-45 minutes.

Dmitry Chernyshenko says every sport venue is fully prepared and tested at one month to go to the Games ©Sochi 2014



An eight storey-hotel with more than 600 rooms is located 100m from the facility and other hotels are situated nearby.

"The Main Media Centre has all the conditions for media and broadcasting representatives from around the world for convenient operation," Chernyshenko said.

"This unique building is located within walking distance of all the sports venues in the Olympic Park, which will enable them to fully immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the Olympic Games in Sochi.

"I am confident that the Media Centre will become a truly hospitable home for all those who will be working here during the Games."

As well as the MMC, the Gorki Media Centre - which will house 500 press representatives and 4,000 television and radio broadcasters - in the Mountain Cluster is set to open on January 24 and dedicated press centres will be open at all 10 Olympic venues during the Games.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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