He came, he charmed, he conquered. President Putin basked in Olympic glory yesterday after pulling off a surprise victory for Russia in the race to stage the 2014 Winter Games.
Speaking in English and French for the first time in public, Mr Putin wooed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to secure the Games for the Black Sea resort of Sochi by four votes, defeating Pyeongchang in South Korea and the Austrian city of Salzburg.
It was a personal triumph for the Russian team «captain», whose intensive last-minute lobbying at the IOC meeting in Guatemala pushed Sochi from rank outsider to victor. It will be Russia’s first Olympics since the 1980 Moscow Games that were boycotted by the United States and others in protest at the Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan.
Pyeongchang was leading after the first round with 36 votes, followed by Sochi with 34 and Salzburg with 25. When the Austrian city dropped out, Sochi edged ahead to win the nomination by 51 votes to 47.
IOC leaders and the defeated cities, which both also lost out to Vancouver in bidding for the 2010 Games four years ago, acknowledged Mr Putin’s decisive influence. «He was nice. He spoke French – he never speaks French. He spoke English – he never speaks English. The Putin charisma can explain four votes,» Jean-Claude Killy, a French IOC delegate and a former ski champion, said.
Sochi’s success was remarkable because hardly any of its proposed Olympic facilities exist, in contrast to Pyeongchang and Salzburg. Mr Putin promised to spend ё6 billion to create them. The Russian president has a summer residence in Sochi and his presentation to the IOC emphasised its position between the Black Sea and the Caucasus mountains. «I went skiing there six or seven weeks ago and I know real snow is guaranteed,» Mr Putin told delegates with a smile.
Russian media lavished praise on his efforts. Kommersant noted that a steady stream of visits by IOC delegates to Mr Putin’s hotel suite had been crucial, adding: «More than enough people wanted to meet Putin that day.»
Russia has won 293 Winter Olympics medals, more than any other country, but has never hosted the Games. This proved to be a key argument in Sochi’s favour. Mr Putin left Guatemala for Moscow before the result but telephoned Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, from his plane to express «deep gratitude».
Russia’s strategy emulated several features of London’s bid for the 2012 Olympics. Sports stars such as Maria Sharapova, the former Wimbledon champion, were made ambassadors for Sochi and Mr Putin’s charm offensive matched the impact of Tony Blair’s influence in Singapore in 2005.
Many of the promotional advertisements challenged traditional images of Russia and presented Sochi as the modern face of a young country.
Mr Putin already enjoys approval ratings close to 80 per cent with Russian voters and his latest success will add to pressure for a change to the constitution to allow him to stand for a third term as president next March. «This is support from one of the most authoritative and independent international organisations,» he said.
An estimated 30,000 people celebrated in Sochi when the result was announced early yesterday. Most of the spending will go on infrastructure projects, including upgrading the electricity and transport networks and building 19,000 hotel rooms.
Winning formula
— Sochi has been fought over by successive nomadic empires, the Ottomans, Russia and others, since the sixth century
— Controlled by Russia from 1829, it was developed as a holiday resort during communist times
— Stalin, a frequent visitor, maintained a heavily-guarded dacha there
— Its eclectic architectural legacy includes Soviet apartment blocks, pseudo-Mediterranean villas and open spaces that are modelled on Parisian parks
— It hosts the annual Kinotavr International Film Festival
Sources: Russia.com ; Cheltenham Borough Council (twinned with Sochi)
