But with plans also revealed to add two further sides in addition to the Sochi-based team this number will rise to 31, of which 23 will be from Russia in addition to one each from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia and Finland. 

The team will be based in Sochi at either the Bolshoy Ice Dome or the Shayba Arena in the Olympic Park ©Getty Images



The news is a boost for the ice hockey fraternity in Sochi as the southern city is far from the traditional fan base of the sport in central and eastern cities, and the nearest current KHL team is Donbass Donetsk almost 500 miles away in Ukraine.

More generally, the confirmation of the team comes at an important time a week after Vladimir Katrenko, a director of Russia's state auditing agency, told Parliament the country's Sports Ministry "should take urgent measures" to improve inadequate Olympic legacy plans.

Since the conclusion of the Paralympic Games in March another Olympic Park venue, the Adler Arena which hosted speed skating during the Olympics, hosted Russia's Federation Cup tennis match against Argentina, in which the host nation won 4-0.

Other legacy plans have included the beginning of design work on an Extreme Hotel to be located in Krasnaya Polyana close to multiple mountain venues, as well as the opening of a theme park dubbed "Russia's Disneyland" bordering the Olympic Park. 

But there have also been failures including the scrapping of plans to turn the Iceberg Skating Palace, which hosted figure skating during the Games, into a track cycling velodrome. 

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