Signing of the agreement was announced on June 21, 2013 during the 17th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Dmitry Chernyshenko, President of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, and Marcus Osegowitsch, General Director of VOLKSWAGEN Group Rus, signed the agreement on cooperation. Under the terms of the agreement, VOLKSWAGEN Group Rus has been named a Supporting Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay, with the right to choose the torchbearers and organize marketing and promotional campaigns and the welcoming program where the Relay is held.
Volkswagen will provide Passenger Cars and Commercial Vehicles and perform all maintenance work on them for what is perhaps one of the most important Olympic events. A Volkswagen Touareg SUV will lead the Olympic procession for the entire Relay. Volkswagen’s Amarok, Caravelle and Crafter Commercial Vehicle models will also take part in the event. Several of the Crafters will be refitted for torchbearers with disabilities. This model will also be a special media vehicle.
“Since Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Commercial Vehicles are already Partners of the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, we could not overlook an event as important as the Olympic Torch Relay. The status of ‘Supporting Partner’ opens up many opportunities for us. For example, employees and representatives of Volkswagen dealerships will be able to participate and become part of Olympic history,” Mr. Osegowitsch said.
The Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay will be the longest in the history of the Winter Olympic Games. The Torch will cover more than 65,000 kilometers and visit the capitals of all of Russia’s 83 Federal regions. The Relay will start on October 7, 2013 and end at the opening ceremonies for the 22nd Olympic Winter Games in Sochi on February 7, 2014.
