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VANCOUVER — The president of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, added his voice yesterday while in Vancouver to those opposing a boycott of the Beijing Summer Olympics.
As the biggest sporting event in the world, the Games will always be a target for those who want to use them to draw attention to their situations, Dmitry Chernyshenko said in an interview. But he felt the Olympics should not be linked to other interests.
Human-rights activists concerned about China's violent crackdown on protests in Tibet urged Canada this week to boycott the Beijing Olympics. France has suggested that the European Union consider boycotting the opening ceremony in Beijing.
Looking back to the boycott of the Moscow Summer Games in 1980 and the subsequent boycott of the Los Angeles Games in 1984, Mr. Chernyshenko said there were no winners.
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"The only conclusions we learned from the result of those boycotts were that people regretted that they did this," he said. "Sports and the Olympics should be beyond political issues," he said.
Mr. Chernyshenko, accompanied by Semen Vainshtok, president of Olimpstroy State Corp., which is responsible for construction of the Olympic facilities, were in Vancouver to meet with officials from Vancouver's Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee and tour Olympic facilities.
Unlike Vancouver and Whistler, the Sochi organizing committee has the challenge of building a brand new multibillion-dollar winter resort from scratch. Sochi is a remote city of 400,000 on the Black Sea with a reputation as a popular summer resort. Mountains rising to about 2,000 metres are about 40 kilometres away. The Russian government has promised $12-billion to transform the area into a world-class destination for winter sports and international competitions.
Canada's ties to the Sochi Olympics began with its bid for the Games, Mr. Chernyshenko said. The organizing committee closely studied how Vancouver won the 2010 Olympics and tried to duplicate its efforts, paying special attention to the commitment of a legacy that would remain after the Olympics are over. Canada provided the blueprint for Russia in its successful bid, Mr. Chernyshenko said.
Another connection stems from the people involved in preparations for the 2014 Games. Sochi lured a Canadian - Roger McCarthy - from his job as a senior executive at Vail Resorts last year to develop the Roza Khutor ski resort for the 2014 Games. Roza Khutor will be the snowboard and alpine skiing venue for the 2014 Games.
Previously, Mr. McCarthy, a former manager at Blackcomb Mountain, was involved in redevelopment of Mont Tremblant in Quebec's Laurentian Mountains. He is currently involved in construction of three gondolas at Roza Khutor.
Mr. McCarthy was one of the "key specialists" helping Sochi, providing expert advice on creating the ski centre, Mr. Chernyshenko said, adding that he was confident that Sochi could meet construction deadlines with the assistance of Mr. McCarthy and other Canadians who have been drawn into the development.
Mr. Chernyshenko said he expects the links to Canada will continue in the run-up to the 2010 Olympics and afterward.
While in Vancouver, the Sochi delegation was gathering tips on Vancouver's approach to marketing, construction and development. Mr. Chernyshenko said he was especially impressed with the financial model for projects that were intended to generate profits.
Another lesson he was taking back to Russia was to complete the infrastructure well ahead of the Olympics. He said he was surprised to see that some facilities in Whistler are already built and in use two years before the Games are to begin.
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