Sochi 2014 win inspired Pyeongchang- Sochi Games chief

DURBAN, South Africa, July 7 (Reuters) - South Korea’s Pyeongchang was awarded the 2018 Winter Olympics thanks to the initiatives shown by Sochi after the Russian city’s unexpected 2014 Games victory four years ago, Sochi’s Games chief said on Thursday.

Pyeongchang will become only the third Asian city to host the Winter Olympics, and the first outside Japan, after crushing Germany’s Munich and France’s Annecy at an International Olympic Committee vote on Wednesday.
“We really appreciate the IOC made a brave decision in Guatemala (when Sochi won),” Dmitry Chernyshenko told a small group of reporters.
“They gave the Games, which I call a baby, to an unknown territory where all infrastructure had to be built from scratch. We are delivering now and that has inspired new territories to bid,” he said.
Sochi was a surprise winner at the IOC session in 2007, beating Salzburg and Pyeongchang to land the first Winter Games ever to be hosted in Russia, a traditional winter sports powerhouse.
“It is a great sign that new continents deserve to be opened up,” he said.
The IOC has since also awarded the 2016 summer Olympics to Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, the first South American city to host the Olympics before choosing the South Korean city for 2018.
“Rio and Pyeongchang are really opening up new horizons, new destinations and new markets,” Chernyshenko said.
Sochi’s own preparations are on track, he said, with its sponsorship budget expected to add another $200 million by the end of the year.
The Russian city has already amassed $1.1 billion in domestic sponsorship, the largest figure for any summer or winter Games.
“We are breaking every record,” he said. “Our goal is to try not to use public funds for the Games. So far we are achieving that.”
He also said preparations for a planned Russian Formula One race in Sochi in 2014 was not impeding with Olympic preparations.
The IOC reserves the right to postpone the grand prix for a year if race preparations affect Olympic progress.
“The race is planned for autumn 2014. They are building some venues in accordance to our needs. All infrastructure should be done by 2013 and not interfere with preparation for the Games,” the Sochi native said.