Russia

The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) has confirmed the addition of new franchises in the Russian cities of Sochi and Tolyatti, along with its first Finnish team in the shape of Jokerit.

The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) has announced the host cities for the eight World Taekwondo GP series events and two World Taekwondo GP finals in 2014 and 2015.

HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, the founder and chairman of Generations For Peace, has hailed the organisation’s ‘Legacy Today’ partnership with Sochi 2014 and Sochi city administration.

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has said he is “alarmed” at the pace of progress in developing the country’s stadiums for the 2018 Fifa World Cup football tournament, adding that host cities could be replaced if they don’t intensify work.

Sochi 2014 has announced that it has raised total revenue of over $95m (€68.8m) from the Paralympic marketing program, marking a new record for the winter edition of the Paralympic Games.

The Sochi 2014 Paralympic winter Games has already set a new record for ticket sales, organisers have announced.

Valeriy Sushkevich, president of the Ukrainian Paralympic Committee, has announced that his team will compete at the Sochi 2014 winter Paralympic Games but has warned that it could still withdraw from the event if host nation Russia invades his home country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has hit back at critics of Sochi’s winter Olympics whose main concern was “competition in international politics,” adding the Games helped to “open Russia’s soul” to the world.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach hailed the “excellent” Sochi winter Olympic Games and the “amazing” transformation of the host city in Russia after the event drew to a close yesterday (Sunday).

Gerhard Heiberg, the outgoing chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Marketing Commission, has called for schoolchildren and members of the armed forces to be allowed to fill empty seats at the Sochi 2014 winter Olympic Games.

Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, told the watching world to expect “a spectacular show” as the opening ceremony kicked off the 2014 Sochi winter Olympic Games this (Friday) afternoon.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today debated the future of the Olympic Movement, with the bidding process for the Olympic Games being a key subject for discussion as the IOC Session commenced in Sochi.

Russian Premier League football club Rubin Kazan will not move into its new stadium as planned this season because it would “destroy the pitch” at the 2018 Fifa World Cup venue, according to Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has reiterated his confidence that Sochi will stage a “safe and secure” winter Olympic Games with little over a week remaining until the event commences.

The organising committee of Russia and Ukraine’s proposed United Football League (UFL) have announced the formation of a new four-team tournament in what many will view as a means of testing the water for the controversial league project.

Dmitry Chernyshenko, the president and chief executive of the local organising committee for Sochi’s 2014 winter Olympics, has revealed that about 30 per cent of tickets remain unsold less than a month before the start of the Games.