Putin thanks IOC president for selecting Sochi as host city

Moscow, July 5 (UNI) Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge for selecting Sochi as the host city for the XXII Winter Olympic Games in 2014.

In a telephone call to Mr Rogge from the aircraft carrying him back home from Guatemala, Mr Putin expressed the hope for continuing close contacts with the IOC, Kremlin press secretary Alexei Gromov said.

''The Russian President reaffirmed his confidence that all projects planned within the framework of preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics will be implemented fully and in time, in close cooperation with the IOC,'' Itar-Tass news agency quoted Mr Gromov as saying.

The Black Sea resort of Sochi was selected to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games yesterday at the 119th IOC Olympic Committee session in Guatemala, dashing the hopes of Austria's Salzburg and South Korea's Pyeongchang.

Mr Putin, who was the captain of the Sochi bidding committee, took the audience by surprise, delivering his speech in English and making closing statements in French to honour the two official languages of the IOC.

Mr Putin promised full-proof security for all participants and guests at the Olympics, and snow on Sochi's mountains.

Sochi previously bid for the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics, but was rejected mainly due to its poor-quality Soviet-era infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Sochi celebrated with fireworks over the sea after receiving the IOC decision to grant it the right to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

''Moscow pyrotechnicians fired such shots that probably could be heard in Guatemala,'' regional director of the Sochi-2014 Bid Committee Yefim Bitenev told Itar-Tass.

A festive concert was simultaneously held at a stage set up on Theatre Square and it was crowned with a fiery show staged by the same group of pyrotechnicians headed by Igor Labunets.

After the fireworks, the gala concert of top Russian entertainment stars continued.

UNI