By Duncan Mackay

Bolshoi Ice Palace insideNovember 14 - Sochi are to put more than 100,000 tickets on sale for test events in the build-up to the 2014 Winter Olympics, local officials have announced. 


Sochi is due to host 60 test events this winter, including the Grand Prix finals of figure skating and rounds of the skiing and snowboard World Cups, as Russia prepares to host the Games for the first time since Moscow staged the Summer Olympics in 1980. 

Iceberg Skating Palace insideThe magnificent Iceberg Skating Palace will host the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in March

Most of the events will be either closed to the public or free to enter, with tickets only going on sale for the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final at the Iceberg Skating Palace from December 6 to 9, the biathlon World Cup on March 4-10 and the Ice Hockey Under-18 World Championships from April 18 to 28 at the Bolshoi Ice Dome.

Of the total tickets on sale, around 73,000 will be distributed through Sochi 2014 and another 33,000 via local Government.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]