Putin to keep key role in Sochi Olympics

LONDON (AP)—Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will be directing preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the head of the local organizing committee said Tuesday.

“He is still the captain of our team,” Dmitry Chernyshenko told The Associated Press. “He is aware of all the details and is controlling the project at all levels. It is his personal commitment and personal challenge. We will not let him down.”

Putin’s direct involvement became fully evident Thursday when he called for the bobsled and luge venue and the Olympic village in the mountain region to be moved to new locations because of environmental concerns.

“He didn’t suddenly appear.” Chernyshenko said in a telephone interview. “He is personally involved in the project on a daily basis.”

Putin, then Russian president, was instrumental in Sochi securing the games when he traveled to Guatemala City a year ago to lobby International Olympic Committee members before the host city vote.

As prime minister, Putin is head of the government council overseeing the Sochi Olympics, the first Winter Games to be held in Russia. Sochi, a Black Sea resort at the base of the Caucasus mountains, has served as Putin’s summer residence.

Chernyshenko said Putin’s role in the change of venues was a “perfect example” of cooperation between the organizing committee and the Russian government.

“We can show the world that we can deliver concrete action, not just words, as President Putin personally promised in Guatemala,” he said.

Sochi, which must build all its venues from scratch, has been under pressure from environmental groups concerned about the impact on the ecology in the mountain region.

Chernyshenko said organizers remain on course to complete the facilities two years ahead of the Olympics.

“This relocation will not impact the final deadlines,” he said. “We are firmly on track.”

Barca ready to prevent Ronaldinho's Beijing ball

MADRID (AFP) - Barcelona said Tuesday they are ready to play hardball and prevent Ronaldinho from joining the Brazil squad for the Beijing Games.

Brazil coach Dunga on Monday included the Brazilian wizard along with Real Madrid's Robinho in his squad but Barca, who have already made it clear that Ronaldinho is surplus to requirements, are nonetheless demanding he turn up for pre-season training on July 14.

"FC Barcelona have called on Ronaldinho to join training on July 14 along with the rest of the first team squad," a club statement indicated on the Barca website.

Barcelona noted that "the (Olympic) Games do not form part of the FIFA calendar … therefore the club is not obliged to make its players available."

Argentine forward Lionel Messi is also in a similar bind and Barca have already written to the Argentine Football Association requesting that he be available for pre-season training with the Catalan club having to compete in the Champions League preliminaries.

Brazil compete in Group C in Beijing where they face Belgium on August 7, as well as hosts China and New Zealand.

Putin to keep key role in Sochi Olympics

LONDON (AP)—Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will be directing preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the head of the local organizing committee said Tuesday.

“He is still the captain of our team,” Dmitry Chernyshenko told The Associated Press. “He is aware of all the details and is controlling the project at all levels. It is his personal commitment and personal challenge. We will not let him down.”

Putin’s direct involvement became fully evident Thursday when he called for the bobsled and luge venue and the Olympic village in the mountain region to be moved to new locations because of environmental concerns.

“He didn’t suddenly appear.” Chernyshenko said in a telephone interview. “He is personally involved in the project on a daily basis.”

Putin to keep key role in Sochi Olympics

LONDON (AP)—Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will be directing preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the head of the local organizing committee said Tuesday.

“He is still the captain of our team,” Dmitry Chernyshenko told The Associated Press. “He is aware of all the details and is controlling the project at all levels. It is his personal commitment and personal challenge. We will not let him down.”

Putin’s direct involvement became fully evident Thursday when he called for the bobsled and luge venue and the Olympic village in the mountain region to be moved to new locations because of environmental concerns.

“He didn’t suddenly appear.” Chernyshenko said in a telephone interview. “He is personally involved in the project on a daily basis.”

World champion Jana Rawlinson out of Olympics

LONDON (AP)—Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will be directing preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the head of the local organizing committee said Tuesday.

“He is still the captain of our team,” Dmitry Chernyshenko told The Associated Press. “He is aware of all the details and is controlling the project at all levels. It is his personal commitment and personal challenge. We will not let him down.”

Putin’s direct involvement became fully evident Thursday when he called for the bobsled and luge venue and the Olympic village in the mountain region to be moved to new locations because of environmental concerns.

“He didn’t suddenly appear.” Chernyshenko said in a telephone interview. “He is personally involved in the project on a daily basis.”

Putin, then Russian president, was instrumental in Sochi securing the games when he traveled to Guatemala City a year ago to lobby International Olympic Committee members before the host city vote.

As prime minister, Putin is head of the government council overseeing the Sochi Olympics, the first Winter Games to be held in Russia. Sochi, a Black Sea resort at the base of the Caucasus mountains, has served as Putin’s summer residence.

Chernyshenko said Putin’s role in the change of venues was a “perfect example” of cooperation between the organizing committee and the Russian government.

“We can show the world that we can deliver concrete action, not just words, as President Putin personally promised in Guatemala,” he said.

Sochi, which must build all its venues from scratch, has been under pressure from environmental groups concerned about the impact on the ecology in the mountain region.

Chernyshenko said organizers remain on course to complete the facilities two years ahead of the Olympics.

“This relocation will not impact the final deadlines,” he said. “We are firmly on track.”

Both the bobsled track and the Olympic village were planned for the undeveloped Grushevaya area adjacent to a nature reserve. Along with the possible damage to the pristine area, environmentalists warned the track would obstruct animal foraging tracks.

“In determining priorities—money or ecology—we choose ecology,” Putin said last week. “If the balance of nature is upset, this could lead to a situation that would be impossible to restore for any money.”

Chernyshenko said organizers have already located a new venue for the bobsled and luge track at Alpika Service, in the main ski resort of Krasnaya Polyana, and the site had been approved by the international bob and luge federations.

Organizers will save on the original $3 million budget for the sliding facility because they will no longer need to build about 10 miles of mountain roads, he said.

“The new site is convenient for the athletes and spectators and is compact and fully compliant with environmental standards,” Chernyshenko said.

Organizers are studying several proposals for a new site for the mountain village, which will house 2,600 athletes and officials, and should have a final decision by the end of the week.

Sochi officials will submit their revised venue construction plans to the IOC by the end of the month, and will make a full report to the IOC assembly in Beijing on Aug. 6, two days before the opening of the Summer Games.

Homestay in Beijing, August 2008

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China trains 200,000 cheerleaders – for other Olympic teams

Beijing - Cheerleading, the quintessential American act, is relatively new to China.

But that hasn’t stopped the enthusiastic Olympic host from assembling a pep squad of 200,000 volunteers, the largest in Games history, to stir up spirit for any national team that needs it.

It’s one of the bubbliest – and perhaps unlikeliest – ways China hopes to wow its international visitors next month.

Then again, this is the country that has recruited 1.5 million Olympic volunteers and spent $40 billion for its coming-out party – both record-breaking efforts.

“It is almost unheard of in the history of the Olympic movement, [recruiting such a] large number of student cheerleaders to cheer for other countries during the Games,” says Guoqi Xu, author of “Olympic Dreams, China and Sports, 1895-2008,” in an e-mail. “The Beijing Olympic Games has not yet started, but Beijing has created many precedents” already.

Most of the volunteer cheerleaders – which include many retired civil servants – though, have never shaken pom poms in sassy pleated skirts, let alone roused a crowd with victory jumps.

They’ll have some simple dance steps under their belt as well as plastic, noisemaking “cheering sticks” to clap together.

But lest the crowd be unenthused by their routines, or props, Olympics organizers are also preparing 28 elite squads of young women chosen through a nationwide competition and from cheerleading or dance institutes.

The 400 who made the cut will perform “not only as cheerleaders, but also as dancers and acrobats,” the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) promises on its website.

They’ve been practicing for four to six hours a day at a compound on the outskirts of Beijing since June. To teach them new moves and help them with pep and precision, BOCOG brought in cheerleaders from the storied New England Patriots football team.

Some routines are self-choreographed and throw in some Chinese flair. One group squats and kicks with red fans, flicking them open and shut with a loud whir to Asian-infused techno.

Another squad twirls nunchucks before switching to pompoms mid-song. “Everyone knows cheerleading is a Western activity, but we hope we can find a Chinese way to do it [and] show the world,” says He He, who sports long, dyed-red hair and a sparkly belly-button ring.

How do China’s cheerleaders feel about rooting for other countries?

“My first choice is China,” but I’m happy to cheer for any team, says Yang Xue, who has done cheerleading for one year. Her squad is assigned to basketball, which means a potential courtside glimpse of national sports hero Yao Ming.

We’re teaching them “how to entertain a wide crowd,” and for that, “spirit” and “poisemanship” matter more than the actual dance, says Patriots cheerleader Carrie Binette.

The Chinese trainees appear to have learned that well. When the wrong music begins to play for their practice performance, they hold their positions and smiles. Someone fumbles with the stereo. Silent seconds tick. Then, a burst of enthusiasm. “Yea!” they clap and leap..