In 2010, the Russian International Olympic University (RIOU), supported by the Ministry of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy, devised the curriculum for a training course for regional ministers and Russian sports executives. In 2011, the programme was implemented in all federal districts in Russia.

On 30 November 2010, a special training workshop for South Federal District (SFD) sports executives was held. The workshop was entitled "Impact of the Olympic Games on the development of sport in the region: creation and effective use of sport facilities in the Russian South."

Deputy Governors of SFD, Ministers of Sport, and Department Executives responsible for the management and development of sport and physical culture, took part in the training workshop. RIOU CEO Professor Lev Belousov; Turin 2006 Organising Committee Executive Director Paolo Bellino; Director of Marketing for the Mayor of London Daniel Ritterband; the Chief Architect for SC Olympstroy Oleg Kharchenko; the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee Integration and Coordination Department Director Evgeny Bukharov; and the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee Sports Director Denis Polyakov, taught at the workshop.

The workshop participants learnt through practical experience, which will be of real value in their future work. This workshop was the first RIOU project aiming to prepare highly qualified staff for the Olympic Games and other sports events, and to enrich the Olympic legacy

On 17 February 2011, a training course entitled "Sport as a stimulus for social changes in the region" took place in Sochi for sport and physical culture executives in the North Caucasus Federal District (NCFD).

The Secretary of the Presidential Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports Aleksey Kulakovsky; the Deputy Special Representative Yury Oleyniko; three-time Olympic champion, State Duma Deputy, and Hero of the Russian Federation Alexander Karelin took part in the training workshop.

As part of the workshop, master classes were conducted by the President of the Turin Olympic Legacy Fund Paolo Bellino, and the Dean of the Faculty of Sport, Culture and Management at Kufshtein University of Applied Sciences (Tyrol, Austria) Professor Robert Kaspar.

In a broadcast from Rome, CEO of Masterconcept GmbH, and "Resorts of North Caucasus" Board member, Gernot Leitner, talked about the benefits of developing mountain skiing in the region.

The Director for the development of Olympic preparation and infrastructure for the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee, Sergey Krasnoperov, discussed potential new opportunities for the Southern regions of Russia when all the Olympic facilities in Sochi have been completed. According to RIOU CEO Lev Belousov: "This training course helped regional executives discover new ways in which sport can positively influence the socio-cultural situation in North Caucasus Republics, attracting young people to a healthy lifestyle."

The workshop participants also met young people from Sochi, visited Olympic venues currently under construction, and learnt about the activities of the Alexander Karelin Centre of Sport Preparation in Adler.

Sport and physical culture executives from the Republic of Ingushetia, Dagestan, North Ossetia (Alania), Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkess and Chechen Republics, the Stavropol region, took part in the session.

On 16 June 2011, RIOU held a training workshop, supported by the Ministry of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy of Russia on the "Effective use of financial resources in the sports industry" at the Alexander Karelin sports centre in Sochi. More than 60 leaders of sport and physical culture from the Central, North Western and Far Eastern Federal Districts participated in the event.

Opening the seminar, RIOU CEO Professor Lev Belousov delivered a message to the organisers and participants on behalf of the Chairman of the State Duma, Boris Gryzlov. Secretary of State, Deputy Minister Natalia Parshikova, gave a welcome address from the Minister of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy Vladimir Mutko. In this address, she noted that regional sports authorities need to be able to attract investment and sponsorship and learn how to allocate and use resources efficiently in order to foster the development of physical culture and sport in the region. Professor Lev Belousov outlined the development of RIOU's concept and shared future plans.

All the contributors were well-known Russian and foreign experts in the field of sports management and marketing. Three-time Olympic champion, Hero of the Russian Federation and MP of the State Duma, Alexander Karelin, discussed his experience in managing the Wrestling Federation and developing sports schools in the region. Professor Masterman from Sheffield Hallam University (UK) delivered a detailed presentation on the implementation of business strategies in sport. The First Vice-President of the Russian Association of LA sports facilities, Leonid Zhestyannikov, spoke about current trends in the creation and management of sports facilities. Professor Robert Kaspar of the University of Kufstein (Austria) delivered a speech regarding the management and marketing of sports events, and tourism. First Vice-Rector of the Moscow Academy of Finance and Industry Vladimir Lednyov considered professional management as a factor in increasing the competitiveness of the sports industry in the region. According to the Vice President of SC Olympstroy, Pryadeina, the Olympic Games in Sochi will create new opportunities for the development of sport in the south of Russia, and in Russia as a whole. Board member of the Russian Association of Sports Industry Enterprises Andrew Malygin discussed the features and differences between marketing and sponsorship in sport at national, regional and municipal levels.