The Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, taking place February 7-23 in Russia’s Black Sea resort, will count on technologies and innovations from The Dow Chemical Company, Worldwide Olympic Partner and The Official Chemistry Company of the Olympic Games, on all fronts.
From competition venues to city infrastructure, from re-engineered team equipment to technologies that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, Dow enters its 40th year in Russia proud to play a crucial role to help enable the success of the first Olympic Winter Games in the country’s history.
“Dow’s contributions as Worldwide Olympic Partner are unique and unmatched. Through our expertise, reach and innovation, we are in a privileged position to help host territories with their most challenging needs, delivering more sustainable and higher-performing Games,” said George Hamilton, vice president, Dow Olympic Operations. “Our solutions and technologies help improve the Olympic experience for host territories, athletes and fans everywhere - on the field of play and in our daily lives.”
Competition venues and city infrastructure
Once again, solutions from Dow are playing a key role to enable higher-performing Olympic Games: the Company’s products and technologies will be present in all competition venues of the Coastal Cluster’s Olympic Park (the hockey, speed skating, figure skating and curling arenas, and the Olympic Stadium – stage of opening and closing ceremonies) as well as two of the five competition venues in the Mountain Cluster (sliding and ski jumping centers).
Built to be the most iconic venue of the Sochi 2014 Games, the Bolshoy Ice Dome will rely on DOWCAL™ Heat Transfer Fluids to create and maintain the high-performance ice surface where the world’s most prestigious hockey players will clash for Olympic glory. Other Dow solutions incorporated throughout the Bolshoy, from floor to ceiling, include WALOCEL™ products (enhancing concrete mixture for the flooring), industrial coatings (providing durability and protection from corrosion for metal structural components), ENDURANCE™ family of semiconductive and insulation materials (ensuring reliability and long service life to power cables) and SPECFLEX™ Polyurethane Systems (contributing to aesthetics, comfort and durability of the seats for VIP guests).
The Sanki Sliding Center, home of the luge, bobsled, and skeleton competitions, presented a complex construction project to be safely completed amid difficult geological conditions and terrain at a remote location. The utilization of POLYOX™ Water-Soluble Resins from Dow, and the application of the dry-guniting method for the first time, enabled the world-class run to be completed in record time. This impressive Mountain Cluster venue also relies on PRIMAL™ Acrylic Resin (wood protection), epoxy resins (metal protection and floor coatings), ENDURANCE™ semiconductive and insulation materials (power cables).
Dow solutions also enabled the impressive infrastructure improvements that took shape in Sochi and around the region, with products and technologies ranging from Wire & Cable and Piping to Coatings and Polyurethane Systems and Plastics being used in the Coastal and Mountain Clusters, city hotels, power plants and railways.
Games with minimal impact on climate
As the Official Carbon Partner of Sochi 2014, Dow mitigated the direct carbon footprint associated with the Organizing Committee of the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games due to its responsibility to host and deliver the Games.
Dow mitigated the Organizing Committee’s direct footprint through the implementation of energy-efficient and low-carbon technologies in the key areas of infrastructure, industry and agriculture. Dow solutions are being used to modernize or update buildings, houses, industries, and farming practices in Russia – helping to generate savings and long-lasting benefits to the host country’s economy.
Thanks to Dow’s commitment and leadership, Sochi 2014 will also be the very first Olympic Games to mitigate 100 percent of the estimated travel footprint associated with spectators and media. This significant footprint - one of the major contributors to the emissions of a world-class international event, such as the Olympic Games – was mitigated through a portfolio of high-quality offset projects developed to international standards. This portfolio includes projects from Russia, Brazil and South Korea – Host Countries of the next three Olympic Games.
Higher-performing sleds for USA Luge
As a technical partner of the USA Luge team since 2007, Dow applied its products and world-class engineering capabilities to improve equipment and develop a new, higher-performing and faster sled for Team USA.
Focusing on material selection – over 20 different materials were tested – design and manufacturing, along with extensive testing in the laboratory and on the track with athletes, Dow’s Materials Sciences team at the Michigan Operations’ Core R&D division leveraged technologies and composites provided to customers in strategic markets like Automotive, Infrastructure, Transportation, Building & Construction.
The solutions tailored for USA Luge have shown improved performance versus the materials previously used for the sleds - mainly steel and wood. Riding on sleds improved by Dow innovation, the American team achieved a remarkable four silver medals (two in men’s singles, two in team relay) during the 2013/2014 World Cup circuit.
“2014 will be a very special year for Dow in Russia - a strategic country for our Company,” commented Arthur Eritspokhov, Regional Leader and Olympic Operations Executive Director, Dow Greater Russia. “We are looking forward to celebrating 40 years of in-country presence with our customers, partners and employees at the same time as Russia will host the Olympic Winter Games for the first time. Our contributions to the Games and strong businesses in Russia set the perfect stage for another 40 years of growth and success.”