Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay arrives in Tobolsk
Sochi, Russia, 2013-12-13 — /travelprnews.com/ — On December 12, on the 20-year anniversary of the Russian Constitution, Tobolsk welcomed the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay. 25 torchbearers, succeeding one another on a route of 5.3 km, carried the Olympic flame along the main city streets, as well as on the grounds of the Tobolsk Kremlin, the only stone fortress in Siberia. Among the torchbearers were nominees of the Presenting Partners for the Sochi 2014 Torch Relay: the Coca-Cola Company, OSAO “Ingosstrakh” and OAO “Russian Railways”.
On Day 66 of the Sochi 2014 Torch Relay, Tobolsk became the next host city for the Olympic celebration. An MI-8 helicopter with the Keepers of the Flame and the Olympic Lantern on board flew from Tyumen and landed in the lower part of the city of Tobolsk called Nizhny Posad. The Keepers of the Flame carried the Lantern to Bazaar Square. The ringing of bells announced to city residents that the Olympic flame had arrived in Tobolsk.
On the Sophia entrance, made of 198 wooden steps, the Olympic flame was lifted up to the walls of the white-stone Kremlin by torchbearer Alexander Maximenko. He passed the Torch along to Petr Lutsenko, a participant in the 1980 Olympic Torch Relay.
Then the Olympic procession continued in the very heart of the Tobolsk Kremlin. On Red Square, by the Sophia Cathedral walls that include features of ancient Russian, western European and Byzantine culture, the torchbearers passed the Olympic flame to one another to the sound of the ancient bells.
After visiting the Tobolsk Kremlin, the Sochi 2014 Torch Relay continued along the city streets. Among the torchbearers of the day were: President of the “Tobol” volleyball club, Alexander Nesterov, chairman of the philanthropic fund “Rebirth of Tobolsk”, Arkadiy Elfimov, member of the Russian Federation Artist Union, carver Minsalim Timergazeyev, honored teacher Anatoly Berezin, and member of the Russian wheelchair basketball team, Alexey Gorodetsky.
After completing a lap of honor around the city, the Olympic flame returned to the square by the Kremlin walls. The final torchbearer, head of Tobolsk Vladimir Mazur, lit the Cauldron. The day of celebration continued with a ceremonial concert and folk festivals. Almost 130,000 people saw the Olympic flame first-hand in the Tyumen district over two days, out of which 6,500 were in Tobolsk.
The Sochi 2014 Torch Relay will continue in the Sverdlovsk district.
Notes to the Editor
The Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay
The Olympic Torch Relay gets under way in Sochi on 7 October 2013. According to the organizers’ calculations, 90% of the Russian population will be within an hour’s reach of the Torch Relay route at some time or other, and this means that approximately 130 million Russian citizens will be able to watch or participate directly in the Relay. In total, it will cover more than 65,000 kilometers, including by car, train, plane, Russian troika and even reindeer sleigh.
The Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay is going to be the longest in the entire history of the Olympic Winter Games. During the Olympic Torch Relay, 14,000 torchbearers will carry the Sochi 2014 Olympic torch through 2,900 settlements of 83 regions of the country. The Relay will end with the Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony in Sochi on February 7, 2014.
Presenting Partners of the Torch Relay are Coca-Cola, OSAO “Ingosstrakh” and OAO “Russian Railways”.
The Presenting Partners for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is the largest producer in the world of non-alcoholic drinks products. It offers consumers more than 500 brands of carbonated and non-carbonated beverages. Along with the Coca-Cola brand, which is recognized as the most valuable in the world, the company’s portfolio includes 15 brands, the value of which amounts to over one billion dollars.
Thanks to the largest distribution system in the world, consumers in more than 200 countries around the world enjoy Coca-Cola beverages. Every day, over 1.8 billion portions of the company’s beverages are sold internationally.
Coca-Cola in Russia – Coca-Cola is one of the biggest investors in the Russian economy. Coca-Cola’s level of investment in Russia currently exceeds 3 billion dollars. Beverages with Coca-Cola registered trademarks are produced at 16 modern plants located on Russian territory from Saint Petersburg to Vladivostok (including plants of companies “Multon” and “Nidan”).
Coca-Cola Russia, which is an amalgamation of the company Coca-Cola and its partner-bottling company Hellenic, provides employment for over 15,000 highly qualified staff.
Over the course of over 100 years, participation of Coca-Cola company in sports events across the world has been and continues to be an integral part of the Company’s policy and an important element of the business.
Since 1928, Coca-Cola company has been an irreplaceable partner of the International Olympic Committee.
The Coca-Cola Company is preparing to be a Presenting Partner for the Olympic Torch Relay for the ninth time. The Coca-Cola Company first got involved in organizing the Olympic Torch Relay at the Olympic Games of 1992 in Barcelona.
For more detailed information about the company’s activities, please visit the following websites: www.thecocacolacompany.com and www.cocacolarussia.ru
OSAO “Ingosstrakh”
Ingosstrakh Insurance Company has operated in the domestic market since 1947. In 66 years, Ingosstrakh has transformed from a small branch to a large company, a universal insurer at federal level, and is the leader in various types of insurance. Today, branches are located across the country, and there are offices in 310 towns and cities across Russia. Today, the insurance company’s clients include over 12 million individuals and more than 400,000 commercial and state companies. Ingosstrakh’s high business reputation is confirmed by Standard & Poor’s international rating agency and Russian agency “Expert RA”.
The history of interaction between Ingosstrakh and the sports movement spans more than three decades. For Ingosstrakh, the Olympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi are going to be the second Olympic Games that the company has supported in our country. 33 years ago, Ingosstrakh was the supplier of insurance for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, providing insurance cover both during the preparations for the Games and during the competitions themselves. Ingosstrakh actively participated in the insurance of Olympic venues which were constructed before the 1980 Olympics. At that time, the Olympic flame was also protected by Ingosstrakh: the company insured the athletes’ torch relay. The policy was active throughout the entire Olympic Torch Relay.
More than 30 years since the 1980 Olympics, Ingosstrakh has again received this great honor. Since October 2010, it has been a Partner: the official insurer of the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi. Thus, for the second time in its 65-year history, the insurer is supporting one of the most important events in the world of sport: the first Olympic Games in the history of modern Russia, the mission of which is to unite the country, and demonstrate the beauty and diversity of Russia to the world.
OAO “Russian Railways”
OAO “Russian Railways Company” is one of the biggest transport companies in the world, with a network consisting of over 85,000 km of railway lines. Every year the company provides transit for a billion passengers and over 1.2 million tons of freight.
In February 2010, OAO “Russian Railways Company” became a General Partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games of 2014.
The company is implementing a range of important projects related to the construction new railways and stations in the region where the 2014 Games are going to be held, all of which are designed to ensure transit of construction material and equipment during the preparations for the Olympics, and to take competitors and spectators to the competition venues.
All the projects being carried out by OAO “Russian Railways Company” are taking place at unique construction sites, and serve as examples of complex task-solution: they are being created taking account of “barrier-free environment” requirements, so that they can be used by people with disabilities, with the very latest technology and “green building” standards applied.
The infrastructure elements on which OAO “Russian Railways Company” is working will form the main component of the legacy left by the Sochi 2014 Games. The new railway lines and stations will significantly improve passenger comfort on rail journeys, and the volume of passenger and freight transportation by rail will increase.
###