Reach for your atlas – preferably a big one – and look in the index for Sochi. You'll find it on one of the less well-thumbed pages, in the south west of Russia on the Black Sea coast, near the border with Georgia.

In four years' time this city will host the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games – the next games after London 2012 – and by then it will be easier to reach. Right now the journey here requires some determination. Most of us took 18 hours or more to get here!

We're actually here to look many thousands of miles west and back three months. This is the IOC and IPC’s official debrief for the Vancouver 2010 Games. Both movements are rightly determined to ensure that all Organising Committees learn lessons from past Games.

The process is exhaustive and well planned: Over a number of days there are workshops on every possible area – from buildings and transport to spectators and ceremonies. A sensible convention has it that the debrief take place at the next Host City.

Any debrief is only as good as its information owners are honest. Our colleagues from Canada were top notch – indeed they've been as generous in sharing their experiences with us as they were fantastic hosts for the 2010 Games. The Vancouver Organising Committee (VANOC) was rightly proud of its Games, but they shared some tough challenges and recommendations with equal frankness. This has made the last few days well worth the long journey.

One of the most vivid messages was the vital importance of the 2010 Cultural Olympiad and the network of Live Sites that helped to create the most wonderful festival atmosphere in Whistler and Vancouver. The images of streets thronging with euphoric Canadians and guests from all over the world celebrating human sporting achievement are among the most enduring from the 2010 Games.

Indeed, a survey of visitors showed that although the sports programme was, of course, highly popular, the most highly rated success factor was the atmosphere of being in an Olympic and Paralympic Host City.

The Canadian Torch Relay played its part here too. VANOC's charismatic leader, John Furlong, told his team to take the torch to every Canadian community – no matter how far they had to travel. One hundred and six days of gruelling travel across their vast nation justified his faith in the power of the Torch. Aboriginal communities, sometimes sceptical about the games, adopted the Torch.

Schools thousands of miles from Vancouver planned elaborate projects to mark the times it travelled by. Sporting, cultural and community heroes were made and feted after running with the Torch – and the Canadian nation found its voice with constant cheers of 'Go, Canada Go' echoing around the convoy.  I’m glad that London's Torch Relay team were able to share in the experience and learn plenty from Jim Richards and his Vancouver Team.

And now winter sporting minds shift towards Sochi. Its Organising Committee has already been busy. Indeed the journey from the coastal airport up here to the mountain venue is the most astonishing corridor of construction projects. Roads, train lines, sports venues, housing, hotel and university projects are emerging on a scale I've never seen before.

The raw materials of the spectacular mountain ranges of the Krasnodar region are precious and our Russian colleagues are hearing much from the Canadians about how to exploit their natural riches while also nurturing and protecting them. If the Sochi page on your atlas hasn’t seen much action before, I'll predict you'll come back to it far more regularly in future.

I mustn't end without mentioning a certain football championship. Forget that other one down in South Africa. The real action took place last night when teams from the Organising Committees of Sochi, Vancouver, London and Rio and the IOC and IPC fought it out with contrasting styles of dazzling Brazilian skills, well-organised Russian determination, plucky British grit and Canadian ice hockey tactics. It was the Russians who made home advantage tell, taking the final against a skilful team from the IOC.

And the Brits? Well, despite going unbeaten, we went out in the group stage. At least we didn't lose on penalties...