MOSCOW, February 3 (R-Sport) - Around 3.5 billion viewers will watch the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics on television, the head of the organizing committee told R-Sport on Sunday.

Russia's first Winter Olympics will see a 17 percent rise on the last Winter Olympics, Vancouver 2010, organizing committee chairman Dmitry Chernyshenko predicted.

“The official figure at the Vancouver Games was around three billion,” he said.

“Over the last four years, we are observing a trend of rising TV audience, so we can expect such figures [3.5 billion]. Taking ceremonies into account, of course.”

The Games will take place in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi from February 7 through 23.