IOC President Thomas Bach Praises Russia's Preparations During Olympic Inspection

IOC President Thomas Bach "praised Russia's preparations for the 2014 Winter Games in the Black Sea resort of Sochi during an inspection visit with President Vladimir Putin on Monday," according to Alexei Anishchuk of REUTERS. In his first comments about Russia's readiness for the Games, Bach said, "We are fully confident that the Games will be on a magnificent level. We are extremely grateful to you for the magnificent co-operation we developed in recent years. Sochi and the whole region completed a very big, successful development journey and we have been deeply impressed with this path." The praise "must have been music to Putin's ears because he has staked his reputation on the success of the Games." Putin said, "Now that the overwhelming majority of sites are almost ready, there's a final push left, we need to accomplish this final milestone" (REUTERS, 10/28).