POSTED: April 8th 2011
InDepth
From Russia with ice: Sochi 2014 lines up Olympic land grab at Marble Arch
KEIR RADNEDGE at SportAccord / Sports Features Communications
LONDON: John Nash would be fascinated. The greatest architect of Regency England is to have one of his most iconic creations, London's Marble Arch, transformed by the forces of Russian culture, sport and business.
One of the busiest traffic islands in London - never mind only the West End - will be the site of Sochi World, parading a winter wonderland image out of season during the London Olympic Games in the summer of next year.
Dmitri Chernyshenko, president and ceo of the Sochi 2014 Winter Games project, has confirmed that agreement has been reached with Westminster City Council for an ice rink and exhibition pavilion in front and alongside Nash's version of the triumphal arch of Constantine in Rome.
Chernyshenko, while happy to extol the futuristic projection of the Black Sea resort with a series of daily ice shows, reverted to a more traditional stance by talking around questions concerning cost and ticket prices.
He did say: “The public activities will run under the name of Sochi World and will focus on master-classes and spectacular shows on an ice-rink. The aim will be to present a new feature of the Sochi Games by reflecting the many different aspects of Russian culture across all its regions.”
Russian figure-skating stars will give master classes on figure–skating for young British skaters and British figure-skaters will be invited to participate in the Sochi World ice-shows. The exhibition arena will feature an interactive visitor experience and a hospitality pavilion. It has the support of LOCOG.
Keywords · London 2012 · Sochi · Sochi Centre · Chernyshenko
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