The President will address the opening of the International Olympic Committee’s 126th session, during which he will have the opportunity to meet the IOC members.
On February 5, the President will visit the Coastal Olympic Village and take part in the welcome ceremony for the Russian Olympic Committee’s delegation, during which the Russian flag will be raised. Mr Putin will also meet with athletes from the Russian team and inspect the Olympic Village’s infrastructure.
On February 6, the President will hold talks with President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping.
Mr Putin also has talks scheduled with President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, and President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev, as well as contacts with a number of other foreign leaders.
On February 7, the President will take part in the trip’s central event and will officially open the 2014 Sochi XXII Winter Olympic Games. The official ceremony will begin at 20:14 Moscow time. There will be 40,000 spectators present at the opening ceremony’s venue, the Fisht Stadium, and more than 3 billion people will be able to follow the television broadcast of the event.
More than 40 foreign heads of state and government will be present at the opening ceremony. Mr Putin will host a dinner in their honour before the ceremony. Overall, around 60 foreign leaders plan to come to the Sochi Olympics and Paralympics.