[Archive 2007-07-06] Sochi, Russia to host 2014 Winter Olympics

Historical archive — originally published 2007-07-06. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

The International Olympic Committee awarded the XXII Winter Olympics, to be held in 2014, to Sochi, Russia, a resort city near the Black Sea, in Guatemala City yesterday defeating Pyeongchang, South Korea, by just four votes. Salzburg, Austria, was eliminated in the first round by 25 votes.

According to the Associated Press, several factors played a part in Sochi's win. One factor was that of Russian president Vladimir Putin himself. Putin, an avid skier and a black belt in judo, traveled to Guatemala to lobby IOC members and headed up the final presentation of Sochi's bid to the assembly.

Juan Antonio Samaranch, former IOC president and Spanish ambassador to Russia made a big push for Sochi, which may have swung some key votes according to some IOC members.

Another factor is Russia's brand new wealth from exports of Russian natural gas and oil, which provided over $12 billion for Putin to invest in the Games and the infrastructure around Sochi.

Russia last hosted the games in 1980 in Moscow, when the country was known as the Soviet Union. The games were boycotted by the United States and some of its allies over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

The United States continues to spar with Russia over human rights abuses and the subjugation of democratic freedoms.

Meanwhile, Sochi has announced that progress of construction on venues in Sochi will be offered online. Dmitri Chernyshenko, Sochi 2014's bid leader said, "The IOC will be online every single moment in terms of construction, there will be live video from all construction sites."

The next Olympic bid is for the 2016 Summer Olympics which includes bids from Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Doha, Baku, and Prague.

Source and licence

Text adapted from Sochi, Russia to host 2014 Winter Olympics by Wikinews contributors under CC BY 2.5. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. Contributor history.