Particpating schools will study in detail the Olympic history and culture of one of the countries taking part in Sochi 2014, with an estimated 85 nations expected to participate in the Olympics Games and 45 in the Paralympics.

Pupils and teachers will prepare projects and presentations on the Olympics, with competitions and quizzes relating to the Olympic history of school's chosen country also being held. 

Prepared projects will then be presented in Sochi on September 1, 2013.

Marking the start of the initiative, American bobsled world champion and Olympic gold medallist Steve Mesler addressed children in an introductory video.

He spoke of the relationships forged between Olympic athletes and school pupils in countries such as the United States and Canada, who have already run similar programmes.

The programme, which Sochi 2014 says provides a systematic method for delivering Olympic education for the first time in history, takes a year and a half  to complete.

Three broad types of education – popular, academic and professional – are the focus of One School, One Country.

Another key aspect of the Sochi 2014 programme is the setting up of the Russian International Olympic University in Moscow; Russia is also hosting the Summer World University Games in Kazan next year.

Since 2010, Sochi has also held a nationwide "Teacher" contest, through which the country's educators are able to contribute to developing Russian Olympic education through programmes, seminars and educational modules on Olympic and Paralympic themes.

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