adminSOCHI. — Sochi’s Winter Olympic Games set records in competitor numbers, medals awarded and quality of venues, keeping athletes happy and proving critics wrong, said International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach on Sunday. Speaking to reporters before the closing ceremony, Bach, who presided over his first Olympics after taking over as IOC chief last year, said Russian government support and President Vladimir Putin’s involvement had contributed to the success.
However, the Games also saw five doping cases, four more than at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, but Bach said it was proof the system worked.
“The number of cases for me is not really relevant. What is important is that we see that the system works.
“It shows that the IOC is serious with zero tolerance because the athletes have been disqualified from the Games.”
He said critics who had doubted Russia could pull off hosting the event would now be convinced.
“We saw an excellent Games. What counts most is the opinions of the athletes and they were enormously satisfied,” he added.
The Games had more than 2 800 athletes from 88 countries — both records — and the winter event featured 12 new events to attract younger fans and more broadcasters than ever before.
“You have to ask all those who criticised whether they change their opinions now,” Bach said when asked what he would tell critics following the end of the Olympics.
Sochi had undergone an “amazing transformation” from somewhere that looked more like a “Stalinist-style sanatorium city” to an Olympic host city with state-of-the-art venues. — AFP.
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