In Guatemala, the IOC session opened

In Guatemala, the opening ceremony was held of the 119th session of the International Olympic Committee, at which the capital of the 2014 Winter Olympiad will be named. Three candidates are Russian Sochi, Austrian Salzburg and Korean Pyeongchang.

The session will begin its work at 9.00 local time (19.00 Moscow time) at the Westin Camino Real Hotel. Each of the Candidates will hold a clock presentation of their application, immediately after which members of the application committees will answer questions from journalists.

The first to present his application to the Sochi Baby Committee. It is expected that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be present. Then representatives of Salzburg and Pyeongchang will perform.

For a voting procedure, half an hour is allocated for the protocol - from 15.30 to 16.00. Then the participants of the session and media representatives will move to the Real Intercontinental Hotel, where at 17.00 local time (3.00 Thursday of Moscow time) the name of the capital of the XXII winter games will be officially made public.

Of the 111 members of the IOC in the first round, only 97 will receive the right to vote - except for the President of the IOC Jacques Rogge, eight members of the IOC for Russia, Austria, Germany and Korea and five members of the IOC, which, for various reasons, will not be able to take part in the IOC session in Guatemala.

Member of the IOC from Russia Shamil Tarpishchev said the day before that Sochi was inferior to Pyeongchang six votes. At the same time, according to him, about 20 percent of members of the International Olympic Committee have not yet decided who they would vote for.