The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXII Olympic Winter Games, is an international winter multiple sports event that will be celebrated from February 7 to February 23, 2014. The host city, Sochi, Russia, was elected on July 4, 2007, during the 119th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Guatemala City, Guatemala. This will be Russia's first time hosting the Winter Olympics (the Soviet Union had previously hosted the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow). As well, this will become the first Winter Olympics ever held in the subtropics.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Sochi 2014 starts sharing its knowledge with sport managers of the future

Today, Dmitry Chernyshenko, CEO of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee at the request of the State University of Management has started the process of knowledge transfer to Russia’s future sport mangers. A group of over 100 students of the university’s school of continuing education had a chance to listen to the lessons Mr.Chernyshenko learned from the specialists of the highest qualification from all over the Globe.

Knowledgeable professionals who chose pushing their career further by going back to school had a chance to pose their questions to the unique knowledge provider who gained his Olympic experience on-site through successfully heading the country’s bidding process for hosting the 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Areas of the student’s interests included questions on financing major sport events, sport sponsorship and brand value, TOP sponsorship of the Olympic Games, economic legacy left by the Olympic Games and many others. Overwhelmed by the students’ interest to the Olympic project run by him, Mr. Chernyshenko has announced a contest for the current course graduates. According to Mr. Chernyshenko’s announcement the author of the most successful final thesis will have a chance to apply for a job at the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee.

“Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Games will become a catalysis for the whole industry of sport business. It is essential that while getting ready for the games we could have the most professional and knowledgeable staff possible. It would have been our major mistake if we were relying on the expertise of the foreign working force only. Our managers not only have to know the processes but also be able to apply them to domestic specifics. To grow this type of local sport administrators we need to share the knowledge we have with those willing to increase their professionalism. We are lucky we can do it now while these people are getting to know the basics of the industry’s rules. This means that in a year we can expect to see graduated professionals whose knowledge a priori includes all the basics needed for the Olympic Games preparations.” – said Dmitry Chernyshenko commenting on the initiative introduced to the student audience.

Notes to the editors:

The State University of Management – one of the largest state higher education establishments of Russia, specializing on training managers. This makes our institution unique and original. Over 17 thousand undergraduate and postgraduate students are trained at the University.

Course in Sport Games management - a year long course aimed at the current professionals in management willing to have a career switch and work in the sport business industry. The course is created by the Moscow’s State University of Management in cooperation with the Federal Agency for Physical Culture and Sports.