At a special ceremony Tuesday, officials from the province of British Colombia and the city of Vancouver signed over the Winter Games to Sochi, which hopes to use Vancouver’s experience to help it stage the Winter Games in four years.
British Colombia’s Premier Gordon Campbell signed a cooperation agreement with Dzhambulat Khatuov, the first vice governor of the Krasnodar Region which includes Sochi, reports the Voice of America.
The agreement is an Olympic tradition where the host city of the present Games agrees to share its knowledge and expertise with the next host city.
Khatuov said, “….I would like to assure you that your support and assistance, coupled with our effort – effort of the region at large and the city of Sochi – we will run the 22nd Winter Olympics not simply duly but at the sky-rocket level”.
Vancouver’s Mayor Gregor Robertson said that his city has run fantastic Games and is sad that they have to end, but he expressed confidence that Sochi will also be a great host.
He said, “it will be hard to let go of these Games. We are enjoying them so much here. We will savour the remaining days. But I do look forward to handing the flag to hits worship the mayor of Sochi on Sunday”.
Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov said his aim is that the Olympics will benefit everyone in Sochi. He said, “the president, the government of the Russian Federation, has give us clear instruction to organize the process in such a way that no resident would suffer negative effects of the organization and implementation (of the Games)”.
