Putin, Medvedev Visit First Test Event; City Lands 2012 Peace and Sport

Putin Pleased with Sochi’s First Test Event

Sochi’s ski slope has the approval of Vladimir Putin after the Olympic host city’s first-ever test event.

"I asked the [racers] about it today and they say that in comparison with Austria [or] Switzerland it's excellent," he was quoted by The Associated Press. "The specialists say it's one of the best slopes in the world."

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev joined the prime minister Friday morning at the Rosa Khutor resort in the Krasnaya Polyana mountains to take in the FIS Europa Cup men's downhill competition.

Putin was in Sochi to hold talks with Krasnodar regional governor Alexander Tkachev, which included discussions on the state of preparationsfor the 2014 Games.

The race was scheduled for Thursday but pushed back a day due to heavy snowfall, also the cause of cancellation for Friday afternoon’s Super-G.

According to The AP, the downhill skiers found the famously difficult slope a bit soft but not particularly challenging, a fact the international ski federation’s race director attributed to last-minute alterations in the course.

"The upper part, the most difficult technically, we could not test, because it was closed because of this avalanche problem," Markus Waldner was quoted by the news agency.

A women’s Europa Cup will follow next week, and Sochi will host a top-tier World Cup event this time next year.

Peace and Sport Takes Forum to Sochi

Sochi will host the first Peace and Sport International Forum held outside of Monaco in 2012.

Event founder Joel Bouzou was in the Olympic host city Friday to sign the contract alongside Sochi 2014 CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko, Russian deputy PM Dmitry Kozak, Krasnodar governer Alexander Tkachev and Sochi mayor Anatoly Pakhomov.

"Our mission, through the Forum, is to raise awareness among political and sports leaders about the unparalleled capacity of sport to create a true culture of peace," Bouzou said in a statement.

"For this, we must be in places where our voice is heard. Russia plays and will continue to play a pivotal role in international relations during the 21st century. And Sochi, with its 100 different nationalities which coexist in harmony, host city to the next Winter Olympics, is a flagship of what sport can accomplish to unite populations. Organizing the Forum in Russia, in Sochi, is a natural choice for us."

Monaco hosted the first four editions of the annual sport convention and will stage the fifth this October.

Written by Matthew Grayson.