Olympics: Russian Resort Gets Winter Olympics Nod

Russian city Sochi has been named as host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Sochi, a resort on the Black Sea, beat South Korean city Pyeongchang and Salzburg in Austria in last night's International Olympic Committee vote in Guatemala. Salzburg were eliminated after the first round of voting, before Sochi won 54 votes in the final round, just four more than Pyeongchang.

The presidents of all three countries - Russia's Vladimir Putin, Austria's Heinz Fisher and Roh Moo-hyun of South Korea - had headed up their respective bids which had been whittled down from an original list of seven cities.

Putin, a keen skier, had claimed before the vote that 70% of athletes would live within five minutes of the venues in Sochi - a magnet for wealthy Russians - and therefore eliminate any traffic difficulties.He also suggested being awarded the Games would be just reward for his country's contribution to the Olympics, saying: "Winter sports are popular in Russia and our sportsmen have won many competitions and have made a big contribution to the Olympic movement."

There were jubilant scenes in Sochi as locals celebrated the decision. "We needed this victory," said resident Pavel Ostrovsky. "For the whole country, this is a great resurgence."

Pyeongchang had also bid unsuccessfully for the 2010 Winter Olympics, and some of the crowd gathered in the Korean city wept as they learned they had lost out again. "It's worse than four years ago, because this time we really thought we would win," said restaurant owner Son Chang-min.

Simon Clegg, the chief executive of the British Olympic Association, felt Putin's attendance could have played a part in the decision. "You really cannot say, you don't know the rationale [behind the selection]," he said. "But I think Putin could have been a powerful presence in the minds of some IOC members."