Vladimir Putin held his first meeting Monday as newly-confirmed Russian president with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Jacques Rogge, focusing on preparations for the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. Putin was sworn in to a third term as president at a lavish Kremlin ceremony attended by 3,000 Russian dignitaries and special personal guests such as former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi.
It was not immediately clear if Rogge himself was invited to Putin’s inauguration. “Despite our domestic developments, I would like to assure you that the presidential agencies, I personally, and the Russian government will devote close attention” to the Games, news agencies quoted Putin as telling Rogge. “We attach enormous importance to preparations for the 2014 Sochi Winter Games,” Russia’s former prime minister said.
