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 GUATEMALA CITY (AP) - "The captain" delivered in the clutch for Russia. The personal appeal and power of Russian President Vladimir Putin swayed just enough votes among Olympic leaders Wednesday to bring his nation its first Winter Olympics — bitterly disappointing South Korea and Austria.
International Olympic Committee members credited Putin's personal lobbying for the 51-47 victory that put the 2014 games in Sochi, a Black Sea resort where the snow-capped Caucasus mountains rise from some of Russia's warmest beaches.
Putin flew in directly from a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush, flattering delegates by spending time with them and reassuring many about his government's financial commitment to the billions of dollars needed to prepare "the Russian Riviera" for the winter games.
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