On 29 October 2012 the Russian International Olympic University workshop "Mega-projects in sport: potential of sustainable space development" opened in Alexander Karelin Sport Center in Sochi. More than 50 people participated in the workshop, mainly representatives of sports and business elite, executives of regional sports organizations, large objects of sports infrastructure, "Olympstroy" staff, Sochi Administration, "Sberbank", "Children of Asia" Administration, Organizing Committee "Russia 2018".
The three-day workshop focuses on the impact of large sports events, examples of their positive experience. It is supposed to consider the best international practice of creating effective instruments for sustainable space development. Special attention will be given to Sochi, the Winter Olympic Games 2014, and the analysis of infrastructural changes which resulted from preparation for this event. Using the project "Sochi 2014" as «case-study», the participants will analyze the activities of the region hosting this mega-project in order to demonstrate key approaches to working out the regional programmes of development.
The workshop was attended by experts: the ambassador of Globe Sustainability Award, the author of the research "Cities of opportunities" Hazem Galal (Brazil), Senior Vice President of the Organizing Committee "Sochi 2014" Grigory Kocharov, Sochi Deputy Mayor Alexander Karandin, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director of the Institute of Sustainable Development of the Russian Public Chamber Vladimir Zakharov, MSU professors Vyacheslav Baburin and Juriy Mazurov, George Washington University professor Lisa Delpy Neirotti, President of «The Javelin Group» Jeffrey Bliss, and PwC partner, Sochi 2014 Evgeny Otnelchenko.
Opening the workshop, RIOU rector, professor Lev Belousov said: "The fact that the geography of our participants is rather wide arouses optimism. We aspire to create the real ground for the international expert dialogue. Considering such up-to-date questions as the impact of large sports events, their influence on the development of the economy, social sphere, environment protection, we make a substantial contribution to the sustainable development of Russian regions".
The RIOU new educational project is a result of joint work with leading scientific schools: Lomonosov Moscow State University and George Washington University (the USA). Practical experts from the PwC company, the Organizing Committee "Sochi 2014" and Sochi Administration were the partners.
