Valery Shanstev, chairman of the Moscow 2012 Bid Committee and vice mayor of Moscow, said: “While it is true that we had the Games in Moscow in 1980, that was another country, another place and another time. The Soviet Union and the Russia of today could not be more different.”
“The 1980 Olympic Games made a remarkable impression on our people. In many respects, they opened our country to the rest of the world and opened the world for us. The 1980 Olympic Games were undoubtedly a catalyst for the huge changes which have made our country what it is today. This is a key legacy of the Games, and one of the main missions of the Olympic Movement – to bring peace and Olympic ideals.
He added: “Today we have our new country and a new city, and we want to show the entire world our transformation and our new values.”
President Vladimir Putin also sought to persuade the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Evaluation Commission that Moscow should be the choice to host the Games, after a private meeting at the Kremlin.
With security a key issue for every Candidate City, Alexander Chekalin, First Deputy Minister of Interior Affairs, confirmed to the commission that a detailed security plan has already been developed for the Games.
“The compact nature of our Olympic River concept will enhance security management by focusing support on a small area of control. To boost our existing expertise in security, which we have gained through holding numerous large international events, plans are already underway to equip the city with the highest level of international standard security equipment.”
