Putin invites all sport fans to come to the Sochi Olympics

Sochi, Feb 8 (Itar-Tass) Russian President Vladimir Putin, himself an avid sports lover, has invited all sport fans to attend the Winter Olymipics to be held next year in Sochi. "We invite everybody who devotedly loves sport and honest and uncompromising struggle to come to Russia," Putin said at the "Year to the Games" ceremony in Sochi yesterday. "We all know very well how important it is to believe and move towards one's dream. In 2007, the International Olympic Committee supported the Olympic dream of millions of Russian citizens. We are going to do everything to hold these games in a way that will fully justify this confidence and will upgrade international sport to a new quality level," Putin said. The Olympics return to the region for the first time since 1980, when the erstwhile Soviet Union conducted the Summer Games in Moscow. Those Games are best remembered because of the US-led boycott that kept about 50 countries out of competition. The Sochi games will be held between 4-26 February, 2014. (Itar-Tass) GVS 02081517 NNNN