English subtitles for clip: File:Vladimir Putin speech to IOC in Guatemala City.ogv

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Mister President,

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members of the International
Olympic Committee,

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distinguished guests,
ladies, and gentlemen,

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it is a great honor for me
to address today

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and present the bid of Sochi to host
the Olympic Winter Games in 2014.

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The bid has an enthusiastic support
of the whole of Russia.

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We pledge to make the stay
of Olympians and Paralympians,

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spectators, journalists, guests in Sochi

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as safe, enjoyable,
and memorable experience.

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Sochi is a unique place.

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On the seashore,
you can enjoy a fine spring day,

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but up at the mountains, it's winter.

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I were skiing there 6 or 7 weeks ago

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and I know: real snow guaranteed.

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Ancient Greeks lived around Sochi
lots of centuries ago.

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I also saw the rock near Sochi

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to which--as legend has it--
Prometheus was chained.

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It was Prometheus who gave people fire,

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the fire that ultimately
became the Olympic flame.

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We guarantee

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that Olympic cluster in Sochi 
will be completed on time.

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We are allocating around
some of 12 billion dollars for this.

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The cluster is going to become a regional,

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national, and international sports venue.

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Special emphasis
is placed on the environment,

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security, infrastructure, up-to-date
means of mass communication.

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70 % of participants will be housed

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within a five-minute walking distance
of their competition venues.

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Five-minute walking distance!

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Not bad, really.

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Ladies and gentlemen,

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the city of Sochi has exclusive offers:

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we are working
on the least special privileges

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for participants and guests of the Games.

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For example,

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we plan to lift all restrictions
on the minimum stay of the delegations,

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at least it'll be backed up
by a special law.

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I have already signed
a decree to this effect.

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And one more special privilege:

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no traffic jams, I promise.

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You may know that we in Russia

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turn a sports competition
into a really spectacular event.

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And we are good at it.

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In the past 25 years, we have had
more than a hundred major competitions.

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The recent World Ice Hockey Championship
in Moscow was a great success [inaudible].

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Russia is ready to host the Winter Olympic
and Parolympic games in 2014.

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The Olympic family is going
to feel at home in Sochi.

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Mister President,

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members of the International
Olympic Committee, ladies and gentlemen,

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millions of citizens of Russia
are united by the Olympic dream.

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Winter sports are very popular in Russia.

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Our athletes have scored many victories

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and have made major contributions
to the Olympic movement.

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But we have not yet had the honor
to celebrate the Winter Olympics.

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Our national pledge to you is
the choice of Sochi is the best choice.

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But whatever decision you make,

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Sochi's Olympic bid has already
brought its benefits.

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The Olympic cluster in Sochi
will be the first world-class

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mountain sports center in the new Russia.

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Let me point out that
after the breakup of the Soviet Union,

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Russia has lost all the sports venues
in the mountains.

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Would you believe it?

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Even today, our national teams

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have no mountain venues
in Russia for training.

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The state-of-the-art Sochi's Sport Center
is our present to all efforts,

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Olympians and would-be Olympians,

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to citizens of Russia,

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and guests from abroad.

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Sochi is going to become
~ a new world-class resort
for the new Russia and the whole world.

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And we shall be happy,
happy to see you in Sochi as our guests.

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(in French) Monsieur Président,

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membres du COI,

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dames et messieurs,

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soutenez, s'il vous plaît,
le reve olympique de millions de russes !

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En attendre de votre decision
avec l'espoir.

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Je vous remercie.