The Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games have been a catalyst to create a barrier-free environment, and have helped change perceptions across Russia.
The Sochi 2014 Paralympic Torch Relay, which concluded after a 10 day route, has helped showcase these changes.
The Paralympic Flame travel to 45 cities across every federal district in Russia. Presenting Partners of the 2014 Torch Relay are the Coca-Cola Company, OSAO "Ingosstrakh", OAO "Russian Railways" and VOLKSWAGEN Group Rus.
As part of a special international extension of the Relay, the Paralympic flame made an inspirational visit to the British village of Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympic Movement. In total, the Relay involved over 1,500 Russian citizens from home and abroad, with over 20% of the Paralympic torchbearers were people with an impairment. Approximately 4,000 volunteers were involved in the organization of the urban stage of the Relay.
The Sochi 2014 Relay began in the eastern-most point of the continent at Cape Dezhnev, the location of the Chukchi Peninsula which is the first place in Russia to greet dawn. With the first rays of the sun rising over Russia, companied by a projection show, the first spark of the Sochi 2014 Relay was seen at 05:10 local time. The Flame then passed to torchbearers Andrey Gladkov and Valentina Etton, thus starting the most distinctive and innovative Paralympic Torch Relay in history.
Each day, the Sochi 2014 Paralympic flame was lit in one of the Russian federal districts: the Far East, Siberian, Urals, North-West, Central, Volga, North Caucasus and Southern regions. Each lighting of the flame was unique. The spark in the cities were created by a hammer and an anvil, from wrought feather of the Firebird, a forged horseshoe and gold ingot, from the northern lights and from the symbolic hearts of a jet engine and a laser beam, as well as during Shaman rituals and during folklore pageants. After lighting the city cauldron, the Relay stage ended with the handover ceremony of the ‘sparks’ to Sochi, during which the cities transferred the symbolic flame to the host city of the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.
On March 1, Sochi 2014 Torch Relay celebrations took place in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire - where in 1948 patients with an impairment took part in sport, - and in London's Trafalgar Square. At Stoke Mandeville stadium, the ceremonial lighting of the Paralympic Games Legacy Flame took place, attended by the President of the International Paralympic Committee, Sir Philip Craven, the President of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee Dmitry Chernyshenko, representatives of the British Paralympic Association and well-known Paralympic athletes. The following day, the famous Russian Maslenitsa Festival took place in London's Trafalgar Square, which was attended by the author of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Torch Relay anthem, Russian singer Dima Bilan.
On March 2 in the town of Kubinka, near Moscow, a spectacular air show was held in dedication to the celebration of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Torch Relay. The "Swifts" team performed demonstration flights and aerobatics. The "Rus" aerobatic team delighted the crowd by drawing three agitos - the symbol of the Paralympic Games - in the sky over Kubinka.
Sochi 2014 Paralympic Torch Relay broke a record for the number of destinations. On February 27 there was 9 cities of Siberian Federal District, and on March 2 – 12 cities plus flight aerobatic teams in the Moscow region and the stage in Stoke Mandeville were a part of Paralympic Torch Relay!
In total, 1 699 torchbearers took part in the Relay – including international participants. The Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games torchbearers included famous athletes, sports veterans and coaches, Paralympians, representatives of cultural, educational and social spheres, military personnel, heroes of war and labor, and students aged 14 years and over.
The youngest torchbearer was 14-year-old Sergei Denisov of Sochi, a young sportsman who has a rare genetic disease, and the oldest torchbearer was 88-year-old Vitaly Ivanov of Chekhov, a World War II veteran who was awarded five Orders of the Red Star and two Orders of Glory.
A total of 605 people with an impairment participated in the Relay, accounting for over 35% of total torchbearers.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators watched the parade of the Paralympic Flame across the country. They became a part of history and connected with the Paralympic Movement. Each spectator was able to see and feel the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality for themselves. The journey of the Paralympic Flame illustrated the positive and sustainable change taking place through the creation of a barrier-free environment in cities across Russia.
The finale of the Sochi 2014 Torch Relay will be its arrival at the Olympic Park in the Coastal Cluster. At Fisht Stadium on March 7, 2014, tens of thousands of spectators will witness how in just one moment the Flame, which passed through the hands of more than 1,699 torchbearers, will illuminate the night sky in Sochi, symbolizing the start of Russia's first Paralympic Winter Games.
For further information, please contact the Press Service for the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee:
sochi2014.com | media@sochi2014.com | +7 495 984 2014
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