GUATEMALA CITY -- Vladimir Putin pulled off for Russia what Tony Blair did for Britain in the latest Olympic vote.
Backed by the Russian president's personal lobbying, charisma and government support, the Black Sea resort of Sochi was elected Wednesday as the host city of the 2014 Winter Games.
Sochi defeated the South Korean city of Pyeongchang by four votes in the final round of a secret ballot by the International Olympic Committee, taking the Winter Games to Russia for the first time.
The result was a personal triumph for "the captain," who put his international prestige on the line by coming to Guatemala to lobby IOC members and lead Sochi's final formal presentation.
"Putin being here was very important," said French IOC member and former ski champion Jean-Claude Killy. "He worked very hard at it. He was nice. He spoke French -- he never speaks French. He spoke English -- he never speaks English.
"The Putin charisma can explain four votes."
The Austrian resort of Salzburg was eliminated in the first round, unable to compete with the political and economic might of its Russian and Korean rivals.
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| Sochi residents celebrate after their city is awarded the 2014 Winter Games. (Getty Images) |
"The captain of our team today raised our team to a completely different level," Russian sports chief Vyacheslav Fetisov said of Putin.
He had left Guatemala by the time the result was announced but called IOC president Jacques Rogge from his plane when he heard the news. Putin expressed his "deep gratitude" and confirmed Russia will complete all the Olympic projects "in due time and budget," Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov said.
The Putin magic matched Blair's influence on London's victory in the race for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Blair was instrumental in wooing IOC members in Singapore in 2005, helping London defeat Paris, Madrid, New York and Moscow. Putin did not travel to Singapore for that bid, which lost in the first round.
"If Putin is not here, I think it would be different results," said IOC executive board member Sergei Bubka, a Ukrainian who won a pole vault gold medal for the Soviet Union at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. "He did a fantastic presentation -- his speeches, his communication with people these last few days. They were very impressed about his personality, his intelligence. I think this final touch made the difference."
U.S. member Jim Easton also said Putin might have swung the decisive votes -- including by making his presentation in English, breaking with his practice of speaking in Russian.
