Sochi gives Rogge a warm reception

By Gennady Fyodorov

SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - Palm trees and sunbathing holidaymakers surrounded International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Jacques Rogge on his first visit to the city that will host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

It was hard, perhaps, to picture biathlon and cross-country skiing taking place here but Rogge, by his own admission, was taken aback by the natural beauty of the area and the warm hospitality of the people.

"I am not used to having this kind of weather at a Winter Olympic city," Rogge told Reuters in an interview at a seaside restaurant during his one-day trip to this Black Sea resort last week at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Still, this is a lovely place and I must say that holding the Winter Games in Sochi is a good idea."

IOC executive director Gilbert Felli and Alpine skiing great Jean-Claude Killy, who accompanied Rogge on his visit, were equally impressed.

"The mountains are majestic, with a proper set-up you can make a great downhill course, very demanding," said Killy, who won all three men's Alpine skiing gold medals on offer at the 1968 Grenoble Olympics.

Regarded by some Olympic experts as rank outsiders, Sochi beat South Korea's Pyeongchang and Austria's Salzburg at the IOC session in Guatemala in July for the right to stage sport's major winter festival.

Many believe that success was largely due to the presence and active lobbying of Putin, who spent two days in the Guatemalan capital meeting dozens of IOC members.

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Rogge praised Putin's contribution to the Olympic movement.

"We have a very good relationship. He trusts me," the Belgian said of Putin, who has a black belt in judo and also enjoys Alpine skiing and horse riding.

"You can see that he definitely loves sport. He is very much interested in it and also you feel that this is a man who is handling the whole strategy of the Olympic Games in Russia."

Nevertheless, Rogge reiterated the importance of keeping the Olympic movement independent from political lobbying and the IOC plan to review the presence of heads of states at future sessions where host cities are picked.

"We are honored to have them at our sessions but we don't want it to become a popularity contest between heads of state," he said. "We want to avoid the situation where the big and powerful countries have an edge over the smaller countries."

Sochi's sunny skies and warm sea breeze made the 65-year-old former Olympic yachtsman reminisce about his own competition days.