Yesterday, Russian officials unveiled the sleek silver torch to be used for the traditional relay leading up to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Designer, Vladimir Pirozhkov, told Russian state television that “Our team was working based on the ideology of the Firebird,”

The Firebird is a mystical creature in Russian folk tales that has magical powers.

Since landing the 2014 Winter Olympics the city of Sochi has been transformed through a $19 Billion investment programme that has seen new roads, light rail, airport and stadiums erected from scratch.

The Games themselves begin on February 7, 2014.

Each member of the Olympic relay ceremony gets to keep the torch as a momento of the Sochi Games. Some 14,000 torches will be produced in all.