05/02/2011: Russians vote: The Hare, Polar Bear and Leopard for Sochi Games

On Saturday, thousands of text-voting Russians tapped a green-scarfed polar bear, a big-eared hare and a snowboarding leopard as mascots for the Sochi Games (Winter, 2014). This marks the very first time that the public voted for Games mascots. "The mascots are the choice of the whole our country and will remain in the history ...," said Dmitry Chernyshenko, President and CEO of the Sochi Games Organizing Committee in a statement released Saturday night. Athletes for the associated Para Games selected the Ray of Light and Snowflake as mascots for their 2014 Games.

7/27/2010: City of London Celebrates Two-Year Countdown to the 2012 Games

LONDON - July 27, 2010 (Tuesday), the city started its celebration of the two-year countdown to the 2012 Games with testing its sports venues by star athletes, issuing a call for 78,000 volunteers and opening the first official souvenir store. Michael Johnson, a former 200- and 400-meter champion from USA, was racing on a specially laid track in the 80,000-capacity main stadium. British cyclist Chris Hoy, a four-time gold medalist, was the first to try out London's new velodrome. Mayor Boris Johnson stated during the celebration across the city: "We are on time and on budget ... What we need now are the people to help put on the greatest show on earth."

7/4/2010: Sochi celebrations highlight public support for Sochi Games

The Black Sea City of Sochi celebrated the three-year anniversary of Sochi winning the right to host the Games, Winter 2014, with a traditional "Sochi-YES" festival. The celebrations included various sporting events which took place during the day and a grand concert in the evening. The event was attended by prominent artists, Sochi Games Ambassadors, musicians, athletes and thousands of Sochi residents. Dmitry Chernyshenko, President and CEO of Sochi Games, emphasized: The emotions and joy that the team experienced in Guatemala after being selected by IOC to host the 2014 Winter Games are unforgettable. The positive changes that are occurring in Russia as a result of hosting the Games are clear for all to see. At the "Sochi - YES" festival we are highlighting our plans to transform Sochi. After the Games it will not only be seen as the Games host city, but also as a modern city: a prime example of hospitality and innovation.

4/29/2010: Sochi 2014 plays its part in the changing face of global sport.

The President and CEO of Sochi Games, Dmitry Chernyshenko, has shared the impressive progress being made on preparations for the Games in Sochi at a major worldwide conference, Sport Accord, which has been taking place in Dubai. He placed this progress in the context of the changing nature of global sports events and talked of the positive impact that hosting the Games is having on Russia. He also spoke at the IOC Executive Board where he said that preparations are firmly on track, and that all the objectives set a year ago have been achieved. Speaking from the plenary session of the Sport Accord conference that took place on Wednesday (28th April) in Dubai, Mr. Chernyshenko suggested that the sporting map of the world is changing and that Sochi and Russia are proud to be part of that change and hope to be a great example of the power of taking sports to new markets.

4/27/2010: 84% of Russians are confident that the Sochi Games will be a success

The Russian Public Opinion Research Center has published poll results on what Russians expect from the Sochi Games. The poll shows that the majority of Russian people - 84% of those polled - are confident that Russia will make a good job of hosting the Games in Winter, 2014. They drew attention to the progress that has been achieved so far as preparations continue for the Games, the first time in history that they have been held in Russia. The poll was organized by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center and was conducted in March 2010. 1600 Russians from across 42 regions were polled.