TRANSPORT

Travel times between the ice cluster and mountain zone will vary between 50 to 63 minutes. A new three-to-four lane highway and a rail line will be constructed to facilitate access to the two sports zones.

Sochi says most athletes will be able to reach their competition venue within 16 minutes and all ice sports athletes within five minutes.

PREVIOUS GAMES/BIDS

Russia has never hosted the Winter Olympics. Moscow staged the 1980 Summer Games.

Sochi applied for the 2002 Winter Games but did not make the cut as one of the candidate cities. Salt Lake City won that vote.

Russia has a long tradition in winter sports having hosted World Championships in speed skating, figure skating, ice hockey and biathlon.

But as it has little experience in organising alpine events, the IOC says training programmes will be required.

SUPPORT

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who owns a holiday home in the area and is often seen skiing on the Krasnaya Polyana mountains, was a vocal supporter of the bid. He traveled to Guatemala to lobby for Sochi, a decision which boosted the city's chances of success.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov headed the government committee for the bid.

A public opinion poll commissioned by the IOC showed that 79 percent in Sochi and 80 percent overall in Russia supported the Olympic Winter Games to be hosted in their country.

SECURITY

The number of safety and security personnel required for the Games has been put at 19,000, much to the satisfaction of the IOC.

Fears that Sochi's proximity to the Caucasus region and war-torn Chechnya could affect security were played down by organisers who said if President Putin could holiday there then it was a safe area. The government pledged to foot the security bill.