RUSSIA: International Olympic Committe holds the final of their three-day meeting in Sochi, as security is tightened ahead of the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Record ID: 564903

  • Title: RUSSIA: International Olympic Committe holds the final of their three-day meeting in Sochi, as security is tightened ahead of the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.
  • Date: 7th February 2014
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF IOC VIDEO BEING SHOWN TO COMMITTEE MEMBERS
  • Embargoed: 22nd February 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Police,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA6PDKQ2FSPY0HQIHPN6GZOGDQK
  • Story Text: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday (February 7) gathered for its final day of meetings in Sochi, just hours ahead of the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in the same Russian Black Sea resort.
    Speaking to Reuters TV before the meeting, IOC President Thomas Bach said he was excited about the Games finally kicking off after years of preparation.
    "It's exciting and I'm really longing for the second when the Olympic flame shines over the Olympic stadium and I'm sure so do the athletes. I'm sure it will be an exciting show," he said.
    More than 40 heads of state, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, will attend the ceremony while a record 87 countries will be represented by athletes, plus India, whose competitors will compete under the Olympic flag because India is currently suspended by the International Olympic Committee.
    The details of the ceremony always remain a closely guarded secret, especially the identity of the person who will light the Olympic cauldron, which will be televised live to a worldwide audience.
    FIFA President Sepp Blatter, speaking to Reuters TV in Sochi, praised the location of the Games.
    "I expect wonderful competitions in a new world of winter sports because it is a new resort that has been just created, not only for today but for the next generation and it is a great expectation everywhere in the world because it is very, I would say, it is very rare to be a sea level where you can swim in the morning and then you can ski during the day. but I expect a very very interesting competitions," Blatter said.
    The winter wonderland Russian officials had promised the sporting world burst into life on Thursday (February 6) as the first events of the Sochi Olympics got underway on the eve of the opening ceremony.
    In the Caucasus Mountains high above Sochi, the world's best snowboarders took off, unveiling all their mesmerising, daredevil tricks against the backdrop of a brilliant blue sky and golden sun, the first time for 30 years that Winter Olympic action had taken place ahead of the opening ceremony.
    Nearby, alpine skiers hit the piste at Rosa Khutor, charging down the snowy mountain without a care in the world.
    Down at the Black Sea resort where the ice events are being staged, competitors were getting ready for the first figure skating events, as excitement in Sochi built.
    IOC member and former Ukrainian pole vault gold medallist Sergei Bubka said the facilities on offer were of a high standard.
    "I think it is fantastic facilities, it's in great condition, it's a really exciting moment that the Games will start tonight, and what I also see from the people, it is a fantastic first time for the Olympic Games. There is an Olympic Park, this has never been the case before but the village is excellent, the food is good and everyone looks happy," he told Reuters TV.
    If recent history is any guide, the pessimism that has engulfed the Games during the lead-up will quickly melt and the Sochi Olympics may come to be remembered as a stunning success.
    The build-up to almost all recent Olympics has been marred by controversy and scandal but the power of sport has invariably won through.
    Security was tight not just at the Olympic Park but also around the whole of Sochi, with vehicle checkpoints in place.
    Media and officials had to go through airport-type security checks when entering any Olympic-related venues and there was a clear police presence on the streets.
    Several U.S. and European security officials said on Thursday (February 6) that last-minute intelligence reports about possible Olympics-related attacks have continued to flow into Western agencies and that U.S. and European agencies take them very seriously.
    In a sign of heightened concern, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is temporarily banning all liquids, aerosols, gels and powders in carry-on luggage on flights between Russia and the United States, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security official said on Thursday.
    Some U.S. officials on Thursday played down the significance of a disclosure that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had warned airlines to be on guard for toothpaste containers that could contain bomb-making ingredients.
    The main threat, said both European and U.S. officials, is posed by the Caucasus-based Imarat Kavkaz movement, which has attacked a Moscow airport and the capital's subway system. Officials said they could not confirm rumours that the group's leader, Doku Umarov, who last July called on his followers to disrupt the Olympics, had been killed.
    Even if Umarov is dead, security officials believe the group is decentralized and its commanders are sufficiently autonomous to carry out attacks on their own.
    Russian President Vladimir Putin has staked his personal reputation on the success of the Games but for the athletes, the Games are all about the competition.
    The first medals of the Games will be decided on Saturday (February 8) with five golds up for grabs in biathlon, cross country skiing, freestyle skiing, snowboarding and speedskating.
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