Putin Claims Rivals Tried to Discredit Sochi's Olympic Bid

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that a rival nation running to host the 2014 Winter Olympics attempted to discredit Sochi’s bid several years ago.

In a documentary shown on state television channel Rossiya 1 late on Friday, Putin said Sochi 2014 promotion leaflets were shoved under doors of hotel rooms occupied by members of the International Olympic Committee on the night before the final vote in 2007.

Under IOC rules, campaigning is strictly prohibited during the run-up to the vote.

“Do you know what saved us? CCTV cameras in hallways recorded that it was done by our rivals posing as us. It didn’t help them,” Putin said, as cited by RIA Novosti.

Putin did not name which country he believes was responsible for the alleged bid disruption attempt.

Sochi won the right to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games during an IOC session in Guatemala in July 2007 after a close race with South Korea's Pyeongchang and Austria's Salzburg, RIA Novosti reminds.

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