Mr Zhukov said: "The majority of the young people whose dedication has led them to the Youth Olympic Games are leaders in their sport for their age group. This leads us to believe we have a good chance of performing well at the Games."

Mr. Zhukov and other members of the delegation at the Games in Singapore, including Marat Bariev, Executive Director of the Russian Olympic Committee, Yuri Nagornyh, Deputy Minister of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy, Dmitry Chernyshenko, President and CEO of the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee, and Aleksey Kulakovsky, Secretary of the Russian Presidential Council for Sports, also inspected the accommodation hosting for the Russian sportsmen and women. Members of the volleyball team were delighted to show their rooms to the delegation and Russian volunteers from Sochi and Kazan (host of the Universiade 2013) excitedly described their memorable experiences from the Games so far. A group photo was taken to mark the meeting of the delegation, the young Russian athletes and Russian volunteers. 

After wishing the young Olympic athletes good luck, the delegation toured the medical and rehabilitation centre. The centre was specifically created to help Russian sportsmen and women recover, acclimatise and adapt during their time at the Youth Olympic Games.

Alongside doctors, masseurs, psychologists and other specialists, the centre also has a dedicated chef, so that the sportsmen and women can eat familiar meals that are suited to their individual requirements. While visiting the medical and rehabilitation centre, members of the delegation tried some freshly prepared borsch and expressed their satisfaction at the high quality and excellent flavour of the food provided to the athletes.

During his visit to the Olympic village in Singapore, Dmitry Chernyshenko, President and CEO of the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee, said: “During our preparations for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, we are committed to ensuring the athletes are provided with the most comfortable environment, enabling them to achieve world class performances at the Games. For the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee, attending the Games in Singapore is another opportunity to learn from the unique experience of our colleagues in preparing for and organising large-scale world-class sporting events.

“For example, we are currently closely examining a number of factors such as the location of the Olympic village and medical and rehabilitation centre in relation to the Olympic village. A key task is to effectively plan the transport infrastructure so that the team of doctors can reach the Olympic Village quickly and the athletes can also travel to the centre for recovery and rehabilitation procedures swiftly and conveniently."