With his arrival in Guatemala, and giving speeches in English and French, Russian president Vladimir Putin played a decisive role in the issue concerning the holding of the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi. That victory seems startling at first sight. Based on preliminary accounts, there were more people for holding the Games in Australia and Korea. Nobody wanted Sochi, due to the fact that there is no ready-made complex for holding the winter Olympic Games there. For example, Salzburg, which was one of the choices, could even hold the Olympic Games tomorrow, that is, of course, if we imagine that there were to be snow there tomorrow. Touching upon this issue, Russian analysts had been busy with self-criticism, which is so characteristic of Russia, on the front pages of the papers complaining about the unjust treatment towards Russia. The essence of the majority of the speeches was the following: it is so unfortunate that we still haven’t constructed anything and want to hold the winter Olympic Games in Sochi and even if we did, then the world, which is against Russia, would deny Russia the right to hold the Games there. The simplicity of these judgments, which get deeper with the traditional suspicions, has even bored average Russians. However, as it appeared, the representatives of experienced organizations were not bored at all. What can you say about the experts when even the Russian Ambassador to Great Britain talks about the objective behavior of the English towards the Russians to well-known presses without even thinking twice? In fact, one of the radio stations of Great Britain broadcasted a disparaging show during which none of the radio listeners agreed with the ambassador. So, the myth regarding the objective attitude of the English towards the Russians was, we hope, destroyed. But we are not talking about that, rather the Olympics.
While occupied with self-criticism, experts and analysts for some reason didn’t pay attention to the fact that Putin was personally going to leave for Guatemala, and not just to be present during the session of the International Olympics Committee, but rather to give a speech. Of course, there were talks about the visit of the Russian president, but it was done a little rapidly and suspiciously as if it didn’t matter; why did he come with such a big delegation if there was no chance? I don’t know whether these moods of defeat were phony or real. But knowing the personality of the Russian president, we can almost definitely claim that if there were anything that would pose a threat to his success, then he wouldn’t have been at the decisive session of the IOC. We all saw what happened. Putin came, said what he had to say, and conquered. They keep telling the average citizens that if it weren’t for the Russian president, then Russia would never get to have the Olympics take place in Russia.
What happened as a result? Russia accepts the Olympiad with its never before seen multi-billion budget, which will clearly grow during the construction period. Vladimir Putin’s rating will grow at an unimaginable rate. Many people are talking about the lengthening of his term, and the issue may be put up for discussion. By the end of the Games, peace will reign in the areas of the Caucasus close to the site where the Olympiad will take place …Perhaps, most importantly, Russia may free itself from the complex of being a former great power by freeing itself from the word “former”, thanks to the Olympic Games.