SOCHI, February 05. /ITAR-TASS/. Dozens of singers and dancers from local folklore groups have welcomed the arrival of the Olympic Torch which was delivered to the Lazarevskoye district of the Sochi Olympic capital on Wednesday morning in the framework of the Olympic Torch Relay. Silver medalist of the 1976 Summer Olympics and Champion of the 1980 Summer Olympics Vladimir Kondra was the first to bear the Olympic Torch in the Sochi district at 9:30 am Moscow time.
Now, the Olympic Torch is on the way to the biggest Observation Wheel in the CIS, erected in an amusement park in Lazarevskoye. The Wheel, which is one of the park’s main attractions, will lift the torch to the altitude of 77 meters. The Olympic Torch will also be brought to a dolphin nursery in the town of Lazarevskoye.
Then, a special train will deliver the torch to the city of Adler, from where a commuter train called Lastochka (Swallow bird) will bring the Torch to the Rosa Khutor downhill ski resort, where the Olympics downhill ski competition will be held.
Olympic Torch sea travel
Representatives of the Russian show business were entrusted with a "sea" leg of the Olympic Torch relay. A yacht with the Olympic Torch on board is to sail from the Sochi sea port at 3:00 pm on Wednesday. Showman and comedy actor Alexander Revva, who comes from Sochi, will carry the Olympic Torch in his hands on board the yacht.
When the yacht reaches a mooring berth of the Sochi Yacht Club Alexander Revva will turn over the torch to singer of the "Ivanushki International" pop group Andrei Grigoryev-Appolonov, who also comes from Sochi.
Final stage of Olympic Torch Relay
On February 6 the Olympic Torch Relay will move to the Sochi center. It will be the busiest stage of the Olympic Torch Relay with the biggest number of participants (350). UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, IOC President Thomas Bach, cosmonaut and hero of Russia Sergei Krikalev, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, actor Mikhail Galustyan, TV anchors Nikolai Drozdov and Vladimir Pozner, Chief of the Russian Savings Bank (Sberbank) German Gref, Bobslesleigh rider, Silver Medalist of the Turin 2006 Olympics and bronze winner of Vancouver 2010 Olympics Alexei Voyevoda, two-times Olympic champion and bronze winner of London 2012 Olympics Elena Isinbayeva, and pop group producer Jana Rudkovskaya are among the celebrities honored to carry the Olympic Torch.
The Olympic Torch Relay will be crowned with a gala ceremony of lighting the Olympic Fire in the Olympic Cup at an opening ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Olympics which will be held in the Sochi Olympic Park on February 7.