SOCHI, RUSSIA – The Coastal and Mountain Cluster Olympic Villages in Sochi have opened and are welcoming the teams that are taking part in the Olympic Winter Games. The first celebratory ceremonies will begin on February 2, and will conclude on February 6, when the last participants arrive. The teams from New Zealand, Mongolia, Japan, Belgium and the Philippines will be the first to be ceremonially welcomed.
The welcome ceremony starts with the raising of the national flags of the participating countries and will include key members of National Olympic Committees as well as the mayors and deputy mayors of the Olympic Villages. The greeting ceremony will also include a cultural entertainment program and a performance by Dominik Joker and finalists from the reality talent show Clash of the Choirs. The headliner of ceremony is TV presenter Alexandr Anatolievich famous Russian tv anchor, mainly known for his work with MTV. The mayor of the Coastal Cluster Olympic Village, Elena Isinbaeva, and the mayor and deputy mayor of the Mountain Cluster Olympic Village, Svetlana Zhurova and Alexei Nemov, will greet the athletes and guests at the celebration.
The Russian team will be greeted on February 5 and the Russian delegation is set to include 140 people including athletes, coaches and official figures.
Competitors, honored guests and residents of the Olympic Villages will be given a key souvenir of the upcoming Sochi Games: Olympic gloves. These accessory will be a warm memento of the Winter Games and will keep the athletes cozy in any weather.
