In the ongoing efforts to promote Reno-Tahoe and Nevada as a world-class sports tourism destination and to support the athletic efforts of our region’s fifteen Olympians competing in the Winter Games, the RTWGC’s Vice Chair, Hawley MacLean and Executive board member, Jill Savery, are in Sochi this week. Jill, fresh off her recent duties as the Chief of Sustainability for the America’s Cup in San Francisco, will be blogging about their experience and for those of you who know Hawley; you’ll see some of his latest efforts as an accomplished photographer.
Following is Jill’s latest submission:
Arrival and First Day in Sochi
By Jill Savery, RTWGC Executive board Member
Hawley MacLean and I are attending the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia this week. It has been a fantastic experience so far! When we arrived we could see the Olympic cauldron burning bright from the plane window – what a sight! This is the most compact Olympic Winter Games in history. The ice venues and stadium are all located within the Olympic Park in what is called a ‘Coastal Cluster’ and you can easily walk between them. The ski and sliding venues are in what is called the ‘Mountain Cluster’ and a new train system takes you there in about an hour. When you arrive to the mountains you then take either a bus or a gondola to each venue. It is all quite organized. The mountains are beautiful and the venues are all very impressive. As with previous Games, the volunteers – there are 25,000 of them dressed on colorful outfits – have been amazing. They greet you with a smile and always say ‘Have a great day!’ Yesterday we met with the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee’s Sustainability Director and Dow (Worldwide Olympic Partner and Official Carbon Partner of Sochi 2014 – Dow). We were given a presentation outlining the sustainability plans and achievements of the Sochi 2014 program (sustainability). The Environment is the third pillar of Olympism (along with Sport and Culture), and an important part of organizing the event. We then attended the Luge – Women’s Singles event at the Sanski Sliding Center in the Mountain Cluster. It is really incredible to watch the sliders scream past you on the track. Today we will watch the Curling competition and explore the Olympic Park. There is definitely tight security here (as with all Olympic and Paralympic Games) with check points as you enter the venues and Olympic Park – but it is not intrusive at all and lines move quickly. We’ve met with our friends at the World Curling Federation and USA Curling Association, and they still talk about the great event the RTWGC organized in Las Vegas last month – the 2014 World Financial Group Continental Cup of Curling.
We’ll be cheering on Team USA!
