Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee Launches “One School – One Country” Program

The educational program “One school – one country” has been launched in Sochi. It has been developed by the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and the City Administration. As part of this program, each of the 67 schools in Sochi will in detail study the Olympic history and culture of one of the countries, taking part in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. During the program, pupils and teachers will prepare projects and presentations on the Olympics. Competitions and quizzes will also be held relating to the Olympic history of the chosen country. All of the projects prepared by the pupils will be presented at Sochi’s traditional Olympic lessons on September 1, 2013.

At the event marking the start of the program, Steven Mesler, an American bobsledder who was the 2009 World Champion and the 2010 Olympic gold-medalist as well as the participant of three Winter Olympics, spoke to the Sochi school pupils in an introductory video. He told the children about the interesting friendships that have been forged between famous Olympic athletes and school pupils from Canada, the USA and other countries where resembling programs have been implemented.

As part of the “One school – one country” program, pupils from each school in Sochi will choose one country taking part in the Olympic Winter Games of 2014. The school will study in detail its Olympic history, sports life, culture and traditions over the course of a year and a half. During the course of the program, the pupils, with help from their teachers and parents, will produce educational projects and prepare presentations related to the Olympic Movement. Competitions and quizzes will also be held, each related to their chosen country. This will help to create a unique knowledge of the Olympic movement.

The Sochi 2014 system of Olympic Education is made up of three levels: “Popular” Olympic education, “Academic” Olympic education and “Professional” Olympic education. The Sochi 2014 Olympic Education System is a structure where the focus runs from primary level right through to post-graduate. In the system, the emphasis is not only on sport but also on the preparation and staging of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The concept of Sochi 2014 Olympic Education was adopted at a meeting of the Sochi 2014 Supervisory Board in October 2009 and was approved by the IOC in December 2009.

The system is implemented at local (Sochi), regional (Krasnodar Region), federal and international levels. In addition, the Organizing Committee has also brought into being the “Sochi 2014 Teacher” movement created by entrants to the competition of the same name. Today, the movement unites teachers from the Krasnodar Region, amongst others, helping to promote Olympic and Paralympic values.

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