RUSSIA: WINTER OLYMPICS - Sochi organiser says Putin 'satisfied' with Games' opening

Record ID: 643322

  • Title: RUSSIA: WINTER OLYMPICS - Sochi organiser says Putin 'satisfied' with Games' opening
  • Date: 8th February 2014
  • Summary: SOCHI, RUSSIA (FEBRUARY 8, 2014) (REUTERS) SOCHI 2014 NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS JOURNALISTS STANDING ALONG WALL (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOCHI 2014 ORGANISING COMMITTEE PRESIDENT AND CEO, DMITRY CHERNYSHENKO, SAYING: "After the closing, after the finishing of the opening ceremony, the president expressed his gratitude toward the team to the Deputy Prime Minister (Dmitry) K
  • Embargoed: 23rd February 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA5LHOQ2LACDPODCJX78RMZRXRQ
  • Story Text: The lead organiser of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games on Saturday (February 8) said President Vladimir Putin was "satisfied with the result" of the opening ceremony, despite a glitch in the spectacle that prevented one of the Olympic rings from opening.
    Only four of the five giant Olympic rings unfurled from snowflake-shaped structures suspended from the roof of the 40,000-capacity Fisht Stadium in Sochi, meaning the famous symbol could not be illuminated with fireworks as planned.
    The showboat start to a Games Putin hopes will burnish Russia's image on the world stage went on without further ado, with cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, who has spent more days in space than anyone, hoisting the Russian flag.
    Putin officially declared the February 7-23 Games open to a burst of fireworks that lit up the clear night sky outside the gleaming new stadium located on the shores of the Black Sea.
    Dmitry Chernyshenko, the president and CEO of the Sochi 2014 organising committee said Putin gave positive feedback on the opening.
    "After the closing, after the finishing of the opening ceremony, the president expressed his gratitude toward the team to the Deputy Prime Minister (Dmitry) Kozak and all the creative team and he was satisfied with the result," he told a news conference.
    Chernyshenko deflected questions from reporters over the choice of three-time Olympic figure skating champion Irina Rodnina to light the cauldron. Rodnina, a pro-Putin lawmaker, was criticised as racist in the West for posting a photograph last year on social media of United States (U.S.) President Barack Obama which was photoshopped to add a banana in the foreground.
    Chernyshenko said she was chosen for her contributions to sport.
    "Irina Rodnina is from the couple of the three-times Olympic champion, one of the most respected in the world Olympic athletes and I want to stress that Olympics is not about politics and any political talks and discussions are inappropriate for Olympic Games," Chernyshenko said.
    Chernyshenko also said that Putin and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach were informed of an apparent attempted hijacking connected to the Games, but were assured it posed no threat.
    On Friday (February 7) Turkish security forces seized a Ukrainian man who officials said made a bomb threat and tried to hijack a passenger plane, demanding to go to the Winter Olympics just as the opening ceremony was taking place.
    Turkey scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to accompany the Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane as it landed at Sabiha Gokcen airport after a flight from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv with 110 passengers on board.
    "We were aware about this incident. There were not any threats, and I know that Ukrainian and Turkish authorities did their best to fix this hooligan incident," Chernyshenko said.
    Chernyshenko declined to give the cost of the opening ceremony, but said it was in line with previous Games.
    Saturday is the first full day of sporting action, with five gold medals to be decided.
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