October 10, 2006 – According to an AP report Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, and his government are putting their full support behind Sochi’s bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. The Winter Games have never been held in Russia and Putin recently met with Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee. Sochi, a resort town near the Black Sea, is one of three finalists including Salzburg, Austria, and Pyeongchang, South Korea. In July 2007 the IOC will vote on the host city in Guatemala City.