By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andrey_Vasin]Andrey Vasin
The 2014 Winter Olympic Games, or officially known as 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, will be the next worldwide winter sports event to be held from February 7 - 23, 2014 in Sochi City, Krasnodar Krai province, Russia. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose Sochi as the next city to host the Winter Olympic Games during its 119th session held in Guatemala on July 2007. This will be the first time Russia will host the Winter Olympics. In 1980, the country hosted the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow. 2014 Sochi Olympic Games are very important for the Russian economy and politics, as well as for overall country image.
In March 2008, days after the Russian Presidential Elections, a referendum was held in Sochi in election for the "Official Mascot for the 2014 Winter Games." More than 270,000 local residents responded to the referendum's call and eventually paved way for the selection of four mascot candidates: A polar bear, dolphin, snowflake and "ded moroz." A representative from the Sochi City administration revealed that the majority of the votes went to the dolphin. However, representatives from the Sochi Organizing Committee for Sports disagreed with the city's idea of using the dolphin as a probable official mascot for the2014 Sochi Winter Olympics due to inconsistencies from elections held in other Russian towns and cities.
In December 2009, the official logo for the Sochi Winter Games was released. According to IOC President Jacques Rogge, the logo's innovative and appealing design signifies the crucial role of the Winter Games in uniting the youth. In February 2010, the official results from the public vote for the official mascot were announced in the "Talismaniya Sochi 2014," a TV show produced by Russia's biggest network, Channel One. Based from the highest number of votes garnered, The Mascot Election Council named the three official mascots for the 2014 Winter Olympics - "The Leopard" by Vadim Pak, "The Polar Bear" by Oleg Serdechniy and "The Hare" by Silviya Petrova.
The council's announcement of the three mascots caused several controversies and criticisms. According to Sochi city officials, the votes were manipulated during the second round of voting. They also questioned the credibility of choosing the three mascots, which were reportedly said to be plain favorites of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Chairman and CEO of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee Dmitry Chernyshenko aired his statements in Channel One but refused to comment on the online vote results that went to the "Zoich Frog." Chernyshenko also stated his vision for the Winter Olympics.
Find more information about Sochi Winter Olympic Games on http://olympicwintergamessochi.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?The-2014-Sochi-Winter-Olympics:-An-Overview&id=6375406] The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics: An Overview
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