With just under two-and-a-half years to go until the opening of the Games, the venues are on course for completion by the end of 2012, with some being situated in the coastal centre and others at the mountain centre.

Responding to a question from insidethegames about how Sochi compared to other Olympic Games he had been involved with, Killy responded: "We have been in the business for so many years.

"This is as good as you've had it.

"It's going to be magnificent, because we are talking about the most compact games because 40-45 kilometres separate the two sites.

"It's a dream and you have the train from Moscow to the [Olympic] Village and then to the mountains.

"This is very impressive."

He also praised the inclusiveness of Sochi's organisation.

"Sochi 2014 is the Games in which Russia will participate, they are for all of the country; for people from Kuban, Vladivostok, Kazan and St Petersburg," said the triple 1968 Olympic gold medallist.

"We have been very impressed with the way the organisers have proactively reached out to people in every corner of the country.

"What I like most is that the Olympics are coming here - I never knew this part of the world three years ago."

It was the Commission's sixth visit to Sochi, and they expressed their delight at the progress made by the Black Sea resort, with work on the venues and infrastructure for the Games on schedule.


With 26 volunteer hubs set up across Russia, the commission also expressed its confidence that the Games would leave a significant legacy.

Sixty test events will take place before the start of the Games in February 2014, and the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee President Dmitry Chernyshenko spoke of his delight at the endorsement they had received from the IOC.

"I am delighted that the IOC Coordination Committee have confirmed the strong progress made by Sochi," he said.

"There is still plenty to do but it is encouraging that they feel we are in good shape and that they have highlighted the work we are doing to engage people right across the country."

Chernyshenko also promised to beat the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, held in Vancouver, pledging it will be unique.

"We will exceed Vancouver, no one will know the script until it starts."

Sochi's hosting of the Games has a number of other legacy benefits, including the opening of the first ever international winter sports centre in Russia, as well as having created 239,000 jobs to date.

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