The city of Sochi has just been selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the 2014 Olympic Winter games. Sochi is a Russian sea resort located along the shores of the Black See and right next to the peaks of the Caucasus mountains. As usual, when it comes to elect a host city for Olympic Games, geopolitical considerations somehow influence the final decision. The quality of the technical file as well as the financial guarantees certainly count. But it is indeed the geopolitical factors that can make the difference between two challengers. Being the second most popular world event after the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic Games are given a huge media coverage, which constitutes a great asset for the host country. The latter, through this event, is given a major international recognition and may even gain a significant influence abroad. But the host country is not the only winner of the competition; its President also benefits from positive repercussions and gains prestige, especially if he contributed to this success.

As far as the 2014 Games are concerned, and even before the beginning of the competition, there is no doubt that Vladimir Putin has already won a golden medal, which he deserves by many aspects. He personally led the campaign, visiting the IOC-members in Guatemala in order to convince them. This German-speaker even spoke English and French to seduce officials and lead them to vote in his favor. Putin turned into a high-level pro-Sochi lobbyist. According to one of the IOC-members, French former Olympic champion Jean-Claude Killy, Putin gained 4 direct votes in favor of the Russian city as a result of his own charisma; and Sochi precisely won 54 votes in the final round, just four more than its Korean challenger!

The IOC’s vote was presented as Putin’s personal victory by the President of the Russian Assembly’s upper House Serguei Mironov. It is indeed in that way that the event will be presented to the Russian public opinion. Putin followed the example of Tony Blair, whose personal intervention had strongly contributed to London’s victory against Paris to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Nelson Mandela’s implication had also been decisive for South Africa to be chosen as the host country of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and for this major competition to take place on the African continent for the very first time.

Putin has committed to a $12 billion investment package in order to make Sochi actually able to organize the Games. Hotels, sports facilities, infrastructures, telecom networks: everything remains to be built in this city. However, this should boost the local economy. Many figures of the oligarchy, from Potanine to Abramovitch, have already confirmed their financial participation, as well as Gasprom, the wealthy State-owned company. The country’s victory in a major contest is likely to please the national pride; it contrasts strongly with all the set-backs inflicted to Russia during the 1990’s before Putin came to power. This triumph contrasts as well with the failure of the 1980 Olympics held by Moscow. Back then, most of the western powers had boycotted the Games to protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Since then, Russia had never hosted any major sports event. Not only Putin has strengthened Russia’s image, but he also succeeded in the very field where the yet powerful USSR had failed. For the first time, Russia is going to hold the Winter Games, while it increases in power. A boycott’s revival is unlikely to happen. The IOC’s decision seems to confirm the return of this country on the international scene.

After a decade of constant decline initiated by the USSR’s disintegration, Russia makes its voice heard again on the economic and strategic levels. It is to be taken into account in the international relations. Some human rights organizations might sooner or later protest against the IOC’s vote, which awarded the games to a country whose human right record is questionable. Nevertheless, there shouldn’t be anything such as the 1980 boycott, which had no impact on the Russian strategy in Afghanistan. To the contrary, the 2014 Games should be the opportunity of a strengthened Russian integration in the international game.