VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — From the Pacific coast to the shores of the Black Sea. From the peaks of western Canada to the Caucasus mountains of southern Russia.

Do svidanya (goodbye) Vancouver. Do vstretchi (see you) in Sochi.

As the Vancouver Olympics come to a close, the focus turns across the world to Russia’s first Winter Games in 2014 — taking the Olympic movement to a new territory and a new set of challenges.

“We are next,” Sochi organizing chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said. “The bar has been well and truly raised.”

The world will get a first taste of what Sochi has to offer during an eight-minute segment featuring Russian sports stars, music and dance performers.

“This is a historic event for Sochi,” Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov said. “We understand it is a huge responsibility for Sochi and for Russia and we can’t let anyone down.”

Sochi is a city of about 500,000 people and organizers hope the games will serve as a catalyst in turning the area into a year-round world-class destination for Russians and foreign tourists alike.

Organizers say the games will feature the most compact layout in Winter Games history.

“You can swim in the warm Sochi sea, and after 24 minutes on a train, you can change clothes and go skiing in the mountains,” Pakhomov said.

The cost of the Olympic infrastructure project is put at $7 billion.

Security is also an issue on a wider front. Sochi is located in a volatile region, just north of the border with Abkhazia, where Russia has thousands of troops.

“Sochi has been the safest city in the country, the summer residence for the prime minister,” Chernyshenko said.

The biggest challenge might be in replicating the way Vancouver celebrated these games, with festive crowds in the streets and arenas packed with cheering fans. IOC officials said it’s the best Winter Olympic atmosphere since the magical 1994 Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

Before the Olympic flag left Canada on its journey to Russia, Vancouver’s organizing committee offered a word of advice to the next hosts.

“Develop a good thick skin and don’t shy away from criticism,” spokeswoman Renee Smith-Valade said, “because it’s healthy and it makes you better at what you do.”