It saw the construction of the two clusters of venues – situated in the Krasnaya Polyana mountain range and the Olympic Park near the Black Sea coastline – to be used in two years' time.

The team, led by head of winter sport Mike Hay, was welcomed by Sochi 2014's management team.

The BOA signed an agreement with its Russian counterparts to work together on areas of mutual and strategic interest last year.

The tie-up has allowed each to learn valuable lessons from the other with London staging this summer's Olympics a year and a half before the Winter Games visits the coastal resort of Sochi.

The trip to Russia came just over a month after a Sochi 2014 delegation flew to London to meet UK businesses and discuss opportunities for Winter Olympics-related business.

The BOA group was shown around the Olympic and athletes' villages in the mountains; the Laura Cross Country Skiing and Biathlon Centre; and the Rosa Khutor Alpine Ski Resort; the delegation also enjoyed first-hand views of the bobsleighing, ski jumping, freestyle skiing and snowboarding courses.

It also visited the Olympic Park, which includes the Bolshoi Ice Dome (pictured, top) where the ice hockey medals will be contested; the Curling Centre; and the Iceberg Skating Palace and Olympic Oval Skating Centre, where figure skating and short-track speed skating will take place; also on the itinerary was a trip to see the Olympic Family hotel.

All venues being used for sports events during the Winter Olympics and Paralympics are scheduled to be constructed by the end of 2012 before Sochi moves on to the next phase in the schedule: the testing of facilities.

A number of leading athletes competing at test events praised the Sochi 2014 venues earlier this year, while a recent coordination commission visit from the International Olympic Committee resulted in praise for the city's preparations.

Work is also ongoing to renovate the Sochi transport network, increasing road, air and rail capacity ahead of the Games.

"Visiting Sochi this week has been truly inspiring and acts as a huge motivation for us in the build-up to Russia's first Winter Games," the BOA delegates said in a joint statement.

"While the eyes of the world will be turning to our home city of London this year, we're also excitedly looking towards Sochi 2014 – which will be just over a year away by the end of London 2012.

"As a national Olympic association, you're looking to ensure the athletes have [access to] the very best venues and facilities to allow them to deliver their best performances.

"From what we have seen in Sochi this week, our athletes will benefit from a truly world class environment."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
March 2012: UK Sport boosts winter sports funding ahead of Sochi 2014