Counterfeit Games

The government begins to fight against the illegal use of Olympic symbols

Today in Sochi a meeting of the Presidential Council for the development of physical education and sports, preparation and holding of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games will take place. The day before, the presidium of the council met, defining strict standards for both Olympic builders and the Russian team. And also for the first time raised the problem of the illegal use of Olympic symbols .

The construction schedule for Olympic facilities will be determined by the end of February. “The time for organizational and bureaucratic approvals has passed,” Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov said at the meeting. “Six years to implement our large-scale plans is an extremely tight deadline.” By the way, no construction has begun yet. But it is not enough for Russia to build all the Olympic facilities on time. “Ultra-modern arenas and halls should become a worthy setting for the brilliant performance of our team, first of all,” the Prime Minister emphasized.

At the same time, the Olympians will have to shine like never before. Russian athletes “have been given the task of winning at least 14 gold medals,” Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov said after a meeting of the Presidium of the Council for Preparation for the Olympics. Thus, the Russians will have to practically double their current results. At the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, the Russian team won 22 medals - eight gold, six silver and eight bronze. At the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, the Russians won 16 medals, including six gold, six silver and four bronze. In the unofficial team competition, the Russian team took fourth place in both 2002 and 2006.

But the time for modest results is over. Earlier, a similar statement, albeit not in such a categorical form, was made by the head of the Federal Agency for Physical Education and Sports, Vyacheslav Fetisov. “The goal of the Russian team in Sochi can only be first place. We believe that 14 gold medals will ensure victory in the team event. Agree, it’s a beautiful picture: the Olympics in Sochi in 2014 - and 14 gold medals,” he said.

The authorities set themselves no less difficult tasks. The illegal use of Olympic symbols will be stopped in the near future, Mr. Zhukov said. As explained by the General Director of the Sochi-2014 organizing committee, Dmitry Chernyshenko, “in particular, the Olympic and Paralympic symbols, flag, motto, etc., as well as the names “Olympic”, “Olympiad”, “Sochi-2014” are subject to protection. and all derivatives from them both in Russian and in Latin." However, the fight against counterfeit goods in all areas is a constant headache for the Russian government, and it cannot be said that it has been defeated anywhere. Sochi stores are simply filled with T-shirts and baseball caps with Olympic symbols. “Olympic symbols, emblems and phrases are actively used by allegedly Olympic lotteries, financial institutions, and real estate companies. If the security situation is not improved in the very near future, we may face serious consequences - a lack of funds for the development of sports, which are planned to be received through Olympic marketing programs,” Mr. Chernyshenko warned.

But perhaps the situation will be even more complicated when the symbol of the future Olympics is finally chosen. As you know, President Vladimir Putin demanded that the local population be involved in this process. Therefore, on March 2, the residents of Sochi will choose not only the president of the country, but also the symbol of the future Olympics. Among the contenders for this title are bears, bunnies, Snegurochka and Father Frost, the crocodile Gena and Cheburashka (separately) and even the baby mammoth Lyuba, found in Yamal last May, as well as three bears: Mishka from the 1980 Olympics, an ordinary bear and a Caucasian bear. How the organizing committee will protect copyright if, for example, Santa Claus becomes the symbol of the Olympics is completely unclear.

Vera SITNINA