Solemn ceremony of laying of the first stone to the foundation of the Russian international Olympic university (RIOU) took place. There presented the IOC president Jacque Rogge, the prime-minister of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, vice-premier Dmitry Kozak, ROC president Alexander Zhukov, the president of «Interros» company Vladimir Potanin
The general director of Organizing committee «Sochi-2014» Ivan Lynkov, told that about 1000 students can study in RIOU, thus, 205 state-financed places will be given to national Olympic committees. Three faculties will be opened in university: the international sports relations, sports communications and the international management in sports and show business. World Olympic and Paralympic movement experts, known sportsmen-Olympians will act as teachers. The complex of RIOU buildings is constructed in the central part of Sochi. It will include the largest at the Black Sea coast congress-hall with spaciousness over 1 thousand persons, and the Olympic electronic library, which does not have analogues in Russia. First stage of RIOU building an educational complex is planned to be finished by the end of 2012, but this year the university plans to start the realisation of Organizing committee programs.