Read IOC President Jacques Rogge's speech - International ...
Read IOC President Jacques Rogge's speech - International ...
Read IOC President Jacques Rogge's speech - International ...
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Mr <strong>President</strong>,<br />
Distinguished Guests,<br />
Dear Russian Friends,<br />
Sochi One Year To Go Ceremony<br />
7 February 2013<br />
Speech by <strong>IOC</strong> <strong>President</strong> <strong>Jacques</strong> Rogge<br />
A year from now, people from every region on earth will gather in this remarkable place<br />
where the mountains meet the sea for a global celebration of sport and Olympic values.<br />
The Olympic Winter Games are coming to Russia for the first time. The eyes of the world<br />
will soon be on Sochi. And I have no doubt that Sochi will be ready!<br />
This sports-loving nation plunged into the task of hosting the Games with total<br />
enthusiasm, and the results are easy to see. Visitors to Sochi will enjoy world-class<br />
sports venues, modern infrastructure, spectacular mountain scenery and welcoming<br />
traditional Russian hospitality.<br />
With support from the Russian people and public authorities at all levels, this city has<br />
come a very long way since Sochi earned the right to host the Games six years ago.<br />
I want to particularly thank <strong>President</strong> Putin for his strong and unwavering commitment to<br />
the success of these Games. I also want to recognize the hard work of Deputy Prime<br />
Minister Dmitry Kozak and Organising Committee <strong>President</strong> Dmitry Chernyshenko, as<br />
well as the contribution made by my <strong>IOC</strong> colleagues in Russia.<br />
My thanks also to the members of our <strong>IOC</strong> Coordination Commission for these Games,<br />
and, in particular, to its chairman Jean-Claude Killy. As a three-time Olympic champion,<br />
Games organiser, and Chairman of the Torino 2006 Coordination Commission, Jean-<br />
Claude Killy knows what it takes to organize a Games and that they exist for the<br />
athletes. The athletes are the heart and soul of the entire Olympic Movement.<br />
The 2014 Games will also leave a great legacy for the Russian Federation and this<br />
region. Sochi is being reborn as an internationally known year-round resort. The “green”<br />
construction standards employed here will be replicated throughout Russia. The new<br />
infrastructure and the Olympic venues will serve elite athletes and the public for years to<br />
come, with some the venues forming a training centre for the Russian athletes.<br />
Across the Russian Federation, thousands of Games volunteers are trying to picture<br />
what it will be like to be here. Hundreds of thousands of people in Russia and around the<br />
world are planning trips of a lifetime to see the Games and thousands of athletes are<br />
wondering if their dreams will come true.
We cannot predict exactly what will happen in a year’s time. But we do know that we will<br />
witness many unforgettable moments. Records will fall and new heroes will emerge.<br />
To the volunteers and all the people of Russia who have supported the Games, I say:<br />
Thank you. Spasiba Bolshoi.<br />
The world is coming to Sochi, and Sochi will be ready to welcome the world.<br />
Thank you.<br />
Spasiba.