Moscow’s plans for a historic and spectacular 2012 Olympic Games have been set out by Vyatcheslav Fetisov, Head of the Federal Agency of Physical Sport and Culture. He told journalists that the plans show the ‘enormous progress’ made in drawing up the city’s proposals.

Vyatcheslav Fetisov led Moscow’s presentation team at a press conference organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the five Candidate Cities bidding to host the 2012 Olympic Games.

‘The Federal Government and the Moscow City Government are doing everything possible to ensure that our Candidature File which is to be submitted in November to the IOC is of the highest quality. We have made enormous progress with our plans since we submitted our initial Questionnaire to the IOC in January,’ he said. ‘An evaluation of our plans today would show how far we have developed them.’

Alexander Chernov, General Manager of Moscow 2012, said: ‘With 71% existing venues and Russia’s long and successful experience in hosting large international sporting events, we believe our plan offers the IOC a risk-free alternative for the Games and one that is focused on the needs of athletes, the media, Olympic Family and spectators.

The team – including President of the Russian Olympic Committee Leonid Tyagachev, Alexander Kozlovsky, Vice President of the Russian Olympic Committee, Moscow Vice Mayor Mikhail Men, Director of Sports Dmitri Svatkovsky and Director of Media Relations Alexander Ratner – presented Moscow’s Olympic River plan.

Under the Moscow campaign’s slogan of ‘Imagine It Now’, the Olympic River Plan was described as the most compact Games plan ever designed. All sports competitions would be held within the limits of the Host City with strong emphasis on the comfort, convenience and safety of athletes.

Alexander Chernov said not only Muscovites but the entire Russian people wanted to show the world how much their country has grown and changed. He said the broad-based support for the bid was clear, with 89% of Russians wanting the 2012 Games in Moscow.
He continued: ‘Russia has gone through unprecedented social, political and economic change in the past decade. We know from 1980 that the Olympic Games leaves a sustainable legacy for a country and its people.

‘Russians, and indeed international sportsmen and women, have been using that fantastic sports infrastructure for the past 24 years. Today’s plan – like that of 1980 – will leave an accessible sports infrastructure and a financial legacy to sustain it. Hosting the 2012 Games would certainly change our country – and the world – immeasurably.’

For further information contact the Moscow 2012 Media Response Bureau.

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