The announcement of the initiative, part of Sochi 2014's Olympic Truce concept, followed the International Olympic Truce Foundation meeting in Geneva.

To coincide with the European Year of the Volunteer during 2011, the Sochi 2014 Volunteers plan to begin a "volunteer heart" journey from Sochi, to wider Russia and across Europe in order to unite young people engaged in similar projects.

The Sochi 2014 volunteers will communicate by leveraging the latest digital platforms to bring together the volunteering projects which best demonstrate the Olympic Truce values and by the beginning of 2012, Sochi 2014 claims it will have assembled a digital patchwork made up from the best projects to showcase the astounding work undertaken by volunteers across Europe.

"We have been overwhelmed by the exciting plans the Sochi 2014 volunteers have devised to reach out to and unite young volunteers from all across Europe under the values of Olympism," Chernyshenko said.

"In line with our aim to deliver the most innovative Games in the history of the Olympic Movement, our volunteers will embrace the digital world to exchange Olympic Truce messages of Harmony, Respect and Friendship."

Chernyshenko presented a letter from more than 30 Sochi 2014 Volunteers to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Jacques Rogge which outlined the initiative and stressed their aim to engage more and more young people in the Olympic volunteer movement.

"Our programme to train volunteers will not only deliver skilled and enthusiastic volunteers to welcome the world to Sochi in 2014, but also leave the invaluable legacy of a volunteering culture in Russia which will benefit the nation for years into the future," Chernyshenko said.

The Sochi 2014 Olympic Truce concept includes a number of nationwide initiatives to engage, inspire and unite the nation under Olympism, including the Olympic Education programme which brings the Olympic Truce into classrooms across Russia.

It embraces the development of the Russian International Olympic University, the Paralympic Awareness Programme to help change perceptions of people with a disability and the Sochi 2014 Ambassador Programme to inspire the next generation.

It also includes the nationwide "1,000 days to go" celebrations and international torch relay plans.

An estimated 25,000 volunteers will work during the Games in Sochi in more than 20 areas including meeting and greeting the delegations at the airport and helping to organize the closing ceremony.

In addition, around 3,000 volunteers, trained by the city of Sochi, will help visitors attending the Games to travel between the city's venues and ensure that they are given a welcoming and friendly reception.

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