Akhmed Bilalov: The Construction and Organization of the Olympic Games in Sochi

A successful Russian entrepreneur and experienced manager Akhmed Bilalov likes challenges. In his opinion, life is a daily work on oneself. This is the key to success in all areas of life, especially in business. One of the most significant projects of Akhmed Bilalov was the construction and organization of the Olympic Games in Sochi.

From 2005 to 2007, Akhmed Bilalov was a member and an active participant of the Organizing Committee for the preparation of an application for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. In 2008 he became a member Council under the President of the Russian Federation for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports in Russia, and in December 2009 he was appointed First Vice President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Olympic Committee.

Akhmed Bilalov put forward the idea of holding the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, as Sochi was the constituency area of Akhmed Bilalov; the purpose of the idea was to attract large investments to the region and create a global sports and tourist resort of the world level.

The Olympic legacy is not only 15 new sports facilities, but it is also 50 thousand new job opportunities, a modern airport, roads, 50 new hotels. Bilalov's ideas were brought to life. Sochi with new sports facilities, hotels, roads has turned into a prestigious year-round resort where there is everything - the sea, ski slopes, ice palaces, and the Formula 1 track. This event radically changed the appearance of the city and became a triumph for the whole country. The organization of the 22 Winter Olympic Games was recognized by the IOC as flawless. Now professionals and young athletes in the region have Olympic-level sports grounds. Bilalov also took care of the preparation of athletes for the Olympic Games - a historic agreement was signed with Gazprom for the allocation of $150 million every 4 years, the Team Russia brand was created.

The Olympic Winter Games has provided a tourism boost for the host city, with visitors to Sochi up 28 percent year-on-year in 2018 and the ski resorts used for the Games welcoming large numbers of visitors, as fans flock to the Russian resort to follow in the footsteps of their Olympic heroes and relive the spectacular memories of the unforgettable "Athletes' Games".

And although a year has passed since Sochi 2014 covered the world of sports, the legacy of the Olympic venues has ensured that the host region will continue to host sporting events at an elite level, including the first matches of the Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix and the Kontinental Hockey League, as well as the 2015 FIL European Luge Championships, the 2016 FIA Junior Alpine Skiing World Championships, the 2017 FIBT Bob and Skeleton World Championships and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Sochi, home to about 500,000 year-round residents, received 6.5 million visitors in 2017, the same as in 2016. Hotels along the Black Sea coastline sell out in the summer, and the overflow is picked up by the hotels in the mountains, which provide shuttles to

the beaches. The reverse happens in winter when shoreline hotels offer bargain rates and transportation to the mountains for skiers. some hotels in high season are booked more than two years in advance. Bilalov was a member of the IOC marketing committee, which is working on the preparation of games. 2 billion investments were raised, and the Sochi Olympics was recognized as the most successful in terms of marketing.

Akhmed Bilalov has built a great team for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi to be held on a very high level.