OREANDA-NEWS. March 21, 2012. A series of test competitions finished in the Krasnaya Polyana village. Sports tournaments included the Russian Biathlon Cup, the Russian Cross Country Ski Cup as well as the Russian Cross Country Ski and Biathlon Championship among athletes with orthopedic and visual impairment. The sports events were the first in the history of a brand new sports venue – the Biathlon and Ski Complex built on the Psekhako Ridge as part of the preparations for the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.

A chance to be the first to try the new tracks went to no one but the Russian sportsmen – this may also have a positive effect on the upcoming international tournaments that will be hosted by the Biathlon and Ski Complex in Sochi. A series of tests was started with the biathlon competitions. As most of the sportsmen noted, the new tracks were “difficult, but challenging”.

“I immediately realized that the track was designed for the tough guys, strong and not afraid of very grueling ascents and steep descends. You need to come here early to show some good results at these altitudes,” said Alexey Slepov, sprint winner of the Russian Biathlon Championship.

The weather came as an unpleasant surprise on the last day of the competitions – men’s pursuit was cancelled because of the fog. However, this circumstance didn’t put the biathlon sportsmen in a bad mood, even at that moment they were coming back from the track full of positive vibes.

After the results of the Russian Biathlon Cup were revealed, the venue welcomed the Russian skiers. The biathlon and ski track networks are independent of one another, and that was the reason why the sports experts, venue planners and sports fans also waited with a keen interest for the skiers’ opinion to be spoken out.

“The track is one of a kind; I can’t recall any track similar to this one. It is perfectly ready. The main feature is in relief, I’ve never been fond of lowlands, but you can’t find them here. There are places where you may catch your breath – decent slopes. I got over all the way by myself and I really enjoyed it,” – the point of view expressed by Elena Vyalbe, President of the Russian Cross Country Ski Federation.

Following all the sports trials, the skiers yet made a proposal to slightly adjust the steepness located near the finishing line just before the ski stadium. The slope was a little bit too sharp, and the sportsmen explained with a smile: “This type of descend requires not just being well-trained as a skier, but as a mountain skier as well.” The venue providers promised every opinion would be taken into consideration.

The Russian Paralympic athletes rounded the series of the first test competitions. The opening ceremony of the Russian Cross Country Ski and Biathlon Championship among athletes with orthopedic and visual impairment took place not in the stadium as usual, but in the cottage community of the Mountain Olympic Village. The reason for doing that was very significant: it was resolved to announce during the grand ceremony the winners of the Back to Life Award given by the Russian Paralympic Committee. The Paralympic athletes with the most outstanding results of national and international competitions are awarded. The 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympics (Canada) and 2012 World Cup Stage champions were among the winners of the Award.

The sports competitions started the following day, and heavy snow showers didn’t hinder the strongest athletes to be revealed. “The overall impression is good, manageable and quite adequate tracks; it can be noticed it was hard to build them,” that opinion was expressed by Vladimir Kononov, winner of the Russian Cross Country Ski and Biathlon Championship among athletes with orthopedic and visual impairment.
On the third day of the Championship Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation visited the Biathlon and Ski Complex. He had a chat with the sportsmen and a shot at rifle shooting. The Championship ended with sprint competitions.

Following the series of tests at the Biathlon and Ski Complex, some experts stressed there were high infrastructure standards, including great living conditions for the sportsmen.

“I think this stadium will be one of the best in the world. There is a certain logic in how everything is organized here. For biathlon, the track is very hard and is therefore challenging. In summer, the roller track will be built, and it will be possible to do summer biathlon. This is great for us to get this track done just right in time. It will be a brilliant training center for our sportsmen. As for me, I feel confident: everything will be just fine!” said Vitaly Mutko, Russian Federation Minister of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy.