ID :
164350
Sun, 02/27/2011 - 08:35
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/164350
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Decision of TV audiences on Sochi Olympics mascots objective
MOSCOW, February 27 (Itar-Tass) - President Emeritus of the Russian
Olympic Committee, Vitaly Smirnov, believes the decision of the 2014
Winter Olympic Games Organizing Committee to make the Leopard, the White Bear, and the Hare the official mascots of the Games is absolutely objective, since it is based on the results of a nationwide interactive vote.
The Sochi Organizing Committee made public its decision shortly before midnight Saturday pending a televised poll by SMS and telephone calls aired by the Moscow-based Channel One.
"I liked the fact that more than 1.2 million calls and text messages in favor of one or another candidate mascot were received in the process of interactive voting," Smirnov said.
When Itar-Tass asked him whether the decision to select three mascots at a time is correct he said: "And why not? The International Olympic Committee doesn't specify any restrictions."
He recalled that the modern history of the Olympic Games has known
cases of two mascots at the Games.
One such instance was offered by the 2010 Winter Olympics in
Vancouver, which had the Miga and the Quatchi.
He also noted the fact that the hero of Russian New Year fairytales, Granny Frost, had dropped off the list of candidates.
"I'm in no position to explain for anything on behalf of the
Organizing Committee but I personally didn't feel optimistic about that personage," Smirnov said.
"You see, Granny Frost is Santa Claus's parallel and Santa is one of the symbols of Coca Cola and I don't rule out there might have been purely commercial considerations for taking him off the race," he said.
Olympic Committee, Vitaly Smirnov, believes the decision of the 2014
Winter Olympic Games Organizing Committee to make the Leopard, the White Bear, and the Hare the official mascots of the Games is absolutely objective, since it is based on the results of a nationwide interactive vote.
The Sochi Organizing Committee made public its decision shortly before midnight Saturday pending a televised poll by SMS and telephone calls aired by the Moscow-based Channel One.
"I liked the fact that more than 1.2 million calls and text messages in favor of one or another candidate mascot were received in the process of interactive voting," Smirnov said.
When Itar-Tass asked him whether the decision to select three mascots at a time is correct he said: "And why not? The International Olympic Committee doesn't specify any restrictions."
He recalled that the modern history of the Olympic Games has known
cases of two mascots at the Games.
One such instance was offered by the 2010 Winter Olympics in
Vancouver, which had the Miga and the Quatchi.
He also noted the fact that the hero of Russian New Year fairytales, Granny Frost, had dropped off the list of candidates.
"I'm in no position to explain for anything on behalf of the
Organizing Committee but I personally didn't feel optimistic about that personage," Smirnov said.
"You see, Granny Frost is Santa Claus's parallel and Santa is one of the symbols of Coca Cola and I don't rule out there might have been purely commercial considerations for taking him off the race," he said.
