Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to move away from traditional winter Olympic venues and pick the Black Sea resort of Sochi for the 2014 Games. The IOC has shortlisted Sochi, Salzburg in Austria and Pyeongchang in South Korea to host the 2014 Winter Olympics and will announce the winner on Wednesday in Guatemala.
"The uniqueness of Sochi will play its role," Putin said when meeting 18 past and present Russian Olympic champions at his dacha 10 km outside Moscow. "You can't hold all the Winter Olympics in the Alps. The Alps is a good place but you have to create new centres for winter sports."
Turin and the Italian Alps hosted the last Winter Olympics in 2006 and many of the previous Games have been held in the Alps. Asian and North American winter resorts have also played host. Putin said Austria had already staged the Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976. Russia has never held them despite being a strong winter sports nation.
Russian officials have hinted in private that they are worried that the Sochi bid will suffer because of anti-Russian political sentiment. Putin will fly to Guatemala to boost the bid.
Russia has irked its European neighbours, in particular through a series of gas disputes with former Soviet states which have hit supplies to Europe and by saying it would train its missiles on European capitals if they hosted parts of a proposed US missile shield.
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