Sochi, They got it!

[PlumberMan]

Sochi wins 2014 Olympic Games
Sochi wins 2014 Olympic Games
 
By STEPHEN WILSON, AP Sports Writer
July 4, 2007

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) -- Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi was awarded the 2014 Olympics on Wednesday, rewarding President Vladimir Putin and taking the Winter Games to his country for the first time.

Sochi defeated the South Korean city of Pyeongchang 51-47 in the final round of voting by the International Olympic Committee.

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The Austrian resort of Salzburg was eliminated in the first round of the secret ballot, setting up the decisive head-to-head contest between Sochi and Pyeongchang.

Pyeongchang led the first round with 36 votes, followed by Sochi with 34 and Salzburg with 25. Sochi picked up 17 votes in the second round to secure the victory.

The result was a triumph for Putin, who put his international prestige on the line by coming to Guatemala to lobby IOC members and lead Sochi's final formal presentation to the assembly. Putin had left by the time the result was announced.

IOC president Jacques Rogge opened a sealed envelope and read the words the Russians longed to hear:

"The International Olympic Committee has the honor of announcing the 22nd Olympic Winter Games in 2014 are awarded to the city of Sochi."

Russian delegates in the hall erupted in cheers, jumped to their feet and hugged each other. They unfurled a Russian flag and chanted, "Sochi! Sochi!" Korean delegates bowed their heads, some in tears.

"It was a historic decision for all countries," Sochi bid chief Dmitry Chernychenko said. "Russia will become even more open, more democratic."

In Sochi, cheers erupted from the crowd of more than 15,000 that had gathered for a pop concert and the announcement in a main square.

"We did it all together. We won," the concert's announcer said from the stage as fireworks flashed and boomed in the sky.

People hugged and waved their hands in the air. Some appeared to have tears in their eyes.

"It is great. I've never been so happy in my life," said Marina Matveyeva, 23, who works in a bank. "It means that Russia has reached the level of Europe, and we can be proud of our country."

Russia, an Olympic power which has won 293 Winter Games medals, has never hosted the Winter Games. That was a strong point in Sochi's favor with the IOC, which likes to spread the Olympics to new host countries. Moscow hosted the 1980 Summer Games, which were hit by the U.S.-led boycott following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

The Sochi bid won out over the appeals of its rivals -- Salzburg, presenting itself as a safe, no-risk winter sports mecca at the heart of Europe with world-class venues already in place; and Pyeongchang, offering the potential for peace and reconciliation on the divided Korean peninsula and promoting winter sports in Asia.

Ninety-seven IOC members were eligible to vote in the first round, with 95 casting valid ballots. Members from bidding countries are ineligible to vote as long as their cities remain in contention. With Salzburg out, 100 delegates were eligible in the second round, with 98 casting valid votes.

Putin's government has pledged $12 billion to develop Sochi into a world-class winter sports complex linking the palm-lined Black Sea coast -- the so-called "Russian Riviera" -- to the soaring Caucasus mountains nearby.

Putin, one of the world's most powerful figures, emphasized his commitment by making a rare formal presentation in English to the IOC. He praised Sochi's natural setting, saying, "On the seashore you can enjoy a fine spring day, but up in the mountains, it's winter ... a real snow is guaranteed."

Although the site would have to be built largely from scratch, Putin assured, "We guarantee the Olympic cluster in Sochi will be completed on time."

"No traffic jams, I promise," he said with a smile.

Noting that athletes would have a short walk to their venues, Putin said, "Five minutes' walking distance, not bad."

It was the second straight first-round defeat for Salzburg, which also mounted a failed bid for the 2010 Winter Games, which went to Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Austrians were squeezed out by the political and economic might of the Russian and Korean bids.

Associated Press Writer Maria Danilova in Sochi, Russia, contributed to this report.

 
 

[jlogajan]

I had arrived in Russia July 5th and of course this was big news on the TV for several days there.

My RW didn't think Sochi was such a hot venue for natural snow.  She figured it would be mostly artificial.  Sochi is a bit odd choice considering it is one of the more southern cities in Russia.

Sochi is about the same latitude as Minneapolis.

[PlumberMan]

Yeah, I agree. Putin must have allot of pull as his main Dacha( Super Cool Russian Crib) is there. I believe there is several guys here that have wives from Sochi, including Donaz.

[pup zemly]

People, living in Sochi and close, are shocked. Prices for everything have started growing. Food was rather expensive, because it is a tourist city, now it is much more expensive.
Tks when I visited it this year, my friend bought me everything in it  It is so nice to be a lady 

[ForgeMaster]

There is also quite a scandal because a lot of people are losing their homes to make way for hotel housing or something like that.  It is not just a few; it is thousands.

[pup zemly]

There is also quite a scandal because a lot of people are losing their homes to make way for hotel housing or something like that.  It is not just a few; it is thousands.

Only those, who havent registered their property, who have done it will receive money for it

[DonA]

Only those, who havent registered their property, who have done it will receive money for it

I have my doubts they will receive any money.

From what I understand, in the past when the Gov took property (apartments ) from citizens ,what they did was give them another apartment in some village, worth a whole lot less than a Sochi Apartment.

I believe the properties in the center of Sochi will be razed along with properties along all major thoroughfare ( they will need to be tripled in size).

That was the main reason we didn’t consider property in the center.
We bought a ½ acre plot on top of a hill with Ocean view to the South and Mountain views to the north. The only place I can think of that you can have the same type of views is in Alaska.

BTW the day after it was announced that Sochi would host the Olympic we received an offer for our land that was 5 timed the price we paid last year. 

We answered with a big nyet 

DonAz

[Bobalouie]

There is no construction planned for the city center. All the construction is going to be in Adler, south east of the Airport in the lowlands just north of the Georgian border.  Of course the Airport, and all major roads from Adler up to Red Valley will be improved, but all the Olympic Venues that are not in the mountains will be South of Adler.  Nothing will be constructed in Sochi.  At least not according to the official Olympic plans that the Russian Olympic committee submitted to the IOC.