Date
Author
Вера СИТНИНА; Игорь ГЛАНИН; Сочи
Source
Preserved copy
Translated material
King of the Hill
The President of Russia met with the evaluation commission of the International Olympic Committee
Yesterday, perhaps the most influential advertising agent of the Games, Russian President Vladimir Putin, joined in lobbying for the idea of holding the 2014 White Olympics in Sochi . Moreover, before meeting with the evaluation commission of the International Olympic Committee in the evening, the president visited the Krasnaya Polyana ski resort .In the mountains, the head of state talked with children from the Krasnopolyansk sports school, demonstrated his skiing skills and even drank mulled wine from a plastic cup together with the President of the Russian Olympic Committee Leonid Tyagachev, Olympic medalist alpine skier Svetlana Gladysheva and presidential manager Vladimir Kozhin.
“We will develop this ski resort, whether there will be an Olympics here or not,” the president told reporters during a visit to Krasnaya Polyana. “We need this (the development of Sochi. - - Ed. ), because our citizens have places of recreation very little, and Sochi is a unique option, a unique place, because it combines both the sea and these wonderful mountains."
However, Vladimir Putin, as well as the head of the Sochi 2014 organizing committee, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov and Minister of Economic Development German Gref , who work closely with the IOC evaluation commission, of course wanted the Olympics to take place in Sochi. Moreover, otherwise Napoleonic plans for the development of the resort may remain on paper, as has happened more than once in Russia with grandiose projects after the disappearance of the “information occasion”.
Meanwhile, the second day of work of the IOC evaluation commission , which was elucidating the prospects of Sochi as the capital of the future Olympic Games, like the first, passed in the silence of the offices. In an atmosphere of strict secrecy, members of the commission worked with documents, especially since there are no specific Olympic venues in Sochi yet. Members of the commission did not even come to the ice show, which was attended by famous Russian figure skaters, including Olympic champions. Only late in the evening did the appraisers leave the Rodina Hotel to meet with President Vladimir Putin.
The Olympic Charter prohibits the head of a candidate state from holding official meetings with members of the evaluation commission. Therefore, both the meeting at the presentation of the Sochi application and the dinner were informal. But, of course, the commission could not fail to hear the main message of the Russian president. The 2014 Winter Olympics should be held in Sochi because “we are better,” said Vladimir Putin, while praising competitors Salzburg in Austria and Pyeongchang in South Korea. The head of the evaluation commission, Japanese Chiharu Igaya, cautiously called the Sochi application “very serious.”
Vladimir Putin's speech before the evaluation commission was brief, but very emotional. “We are ready to spend more than $12 billion. Think about it, this money will not be spent on guns and shells, but on ensuring that people from all over the planet gather for the Olympic Games in Sochi,” the president said.
As is known, the name of the winner will be known on July 4, 2007 at the IOC session. The Russian application, the government members who held the presentation are sure, is simply unique. In their opinion, the world's northernmost subtropics simply cannot help but please athletes and guests of the Olympics. “Only forty minutes separate the warm sea and snow-capped peaks,” said Minister of Economic Development German Gref at the presentation, apparently forgetting that in February the sea cannot be called particularly warm. But compactness is indeed one of the main advantages of the Russian application.
On the seashore, in the Imereti Valley, all ice facilities, the Olympic Village and a state-of-the-art press center will be located. A central stadium will also be built here, where the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics will take place. The light metro line will connect the Imereti Valley with Krasnaya Polyana, where all the ski and bobsleigh and bobsleigh tracks and jumps, as well as the mountain Olympic village, will be located.
There are two main factors against the Russian bid. Almost all the objects that are necessary for the Olympics so far exist only on paper . Therefore, the commission is taking a risk by giving a high score to the Sochi project. However, the president is convinced that Sochi will not have any organizational problems if the city wins the Olympic race. “I have no doubt that if we win this right, we will certainly cope with the task,” he assured yesterday Vladimir Putin assessed the commission.
Another serious problem is related to the environment. Almost all of the facilities that will be built in the vicinity of Krasnaya Polyana will be located on specially protected lands of the Sochi National Park . Currently, any economic activity on these lands is prohibited. “It is necessary to find a balance between creating opportunities for sports and preserving nature,” Vladimir Putin said in Krasnaya Polyana. German Gref returned to this same sore point in the evening. To all the already created structures, two more will be added: an architectural committee, which will monitor the aesthetics of the objects under construction, and an environmental committee, which will monitor compliance with environmental safety standards and regulations.
Today, the assessment commission will finally leave the boring paperwork behind and begin an on-site inspection. By the way, German Gref’s half-joking calls to pray for good weather, voiced the day before, were only partially justified yesterday. Thick snow was falling in the mountains. On the one hand, the president had to ski in dense snow, when visibility did not exceed ten meters. On the other hand, this will help show Krasnaya Polyana in the most advantageous light today. That is, to prove that snow still happens in Sochi.
“Russia is the largest country in the world, but it is mainly in the northern territories. We have very few places like Sochi,” Vladimir Putin said, addressing international experts. It’s snowing in the mountains, and spring flowers are already blooming on the coast.” However, spring flowers are needed much less in the fight for the Winter Olympics than the presence of snow.
What will be built for the Olympics
On an area of 200 hectares in the Lower Imeretinskaya Lowland, it is planned to create an Olympic park, which has no analogues and includes the following facilities: a small ice arena for ice hockey with 7 thousand seats worth 1 billion rubles, a large ice arena for ice hockey for 12 thousand seats worth 1.5 billion rubles, an ice curling arena for 3 thousand places worth 1 billion rubles, an ice sports palace for figure skating for 12 thousand places worth 1.5 billion rubles, the building of the central stadium , where the opening and closing of the Olympic Games will take place, with 40 thousand seats and the main Olympic village with 3 thousand seats worth 2.8 billion rubles. In addition, an indoor skating center with 8 thousand seats worth 1.1 billion rubles and an international television center worth 2.7 billion rubles will be built. and a press center that meets the most modern requirements, worth 7.6 billion rubles.