Pre-Olympic test events 2011-2013 in Sochi

On August 27, six months before the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games, the Four Nations Ice Sledge Hockey Tournament kicked off at Sochi’s Shaiba Arena.

Panorama team used some unique equipment while covering the pre-Olympic test events of the 2012-2013 season as the host broadcaster.

After playing hard in the qualifiers, Russia made it to the semifinals at the Ice Hockey U-18 World Championship in Sochi.

On April 26, Russia and the US played at the Bolshoi Olympic ice arena.

On April 18, the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships kicked off in Sochi. This was the 17^th pre-Olympic test competition which Panorama (ANO Sports Broadcasting) covered as the host broadcaster.

On April 18-28, the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships took place in Sochi as part of the test events. The game venues, Bolshoy Ice Palace and Shaiba Arena, were built specifically for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Source: Live Production

During the 2012-2013 season, more than 20 international test events in all 15 Olympic disciplines and 5 Paralympic sports already have taken place and will continue to take place in Sochi. Some of the world’s best athletes have tested the slopes and stadiums during the test events.

On March 21-24, the Adler Arena Skating Center was hosting the World Single Distance Championships. This will be another test competition in preparation for the 2014 Olympics.

On March 16 – 21, Sochi’s Laura Cross Country Ski & Biathlon Centre hosted a stage of the IPC Cross Country and Biathlon World Cup.

The 8^th stage of the Biathlon World Cup completed at Sochi’s Laura Biathlon & Ski Complex on March 10 as part of the trial competitions hosted by the city’s newly erected Olympic facilities.

This was the thirteenth sporting event covered by Panorama as the host broadcaster, producing international broadcasts in HD.

Andreas Lauterbach, Programming Director with ZDF (Germany) notes Panorama’s performance.