Interview with Thomas Hammarberg
Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights spoke to Russia Today about domestic problems the Russian government needs to tackle in the seven years leading up to the 2014 Winter Olypics.
Russia Today: What role do you think politics has played in the decision making? Did President Putin's endorsement help to secure the victory for Russia?
Thomas Hammarberg: I think his presence there and the way he presented the case contributed strongly to the decision. That was seen by the Olympic Committee as an assurance from the Russian authorities to take this arrangement very seriously because the task of the Olympic Committee is to secure good sports conditions.
RT: Now that the decision has been made, a lot of construction and other work needs to be done. What do you think are the main problems the Russian government will have to tackle in the coming years?
T.H.: There'll be a need for quite a lot of investments to secure that the arenas and the whole area is suitable for good sports. But of course it is essential to ensure that security is protected. That will be one of the key challenges for the authorities. Of course people that are interested in terrorist acts see the Olympic Games as one of the possibilities for them to strike. That has to be prevented certainly.
RT: The Olympic Games is a major showpiece for any nation. Do think it encourages greater respect for human rights?
T.H.: For me this is good news. I think this will contribute to protecting human rights. There'll be more international attention to the Caucasus because of this. And I believe investments made in this area will be positive for the people, for their social rights and for their developments. So this is actually quite good news for human rights as well.
RT: The Olympic Games have this idea of the unification of various nations. Is there any special significance for Russia in this?
T.H.: That's the spirit of the Olympics across the world – the idea of peace that is behind the Olympic flame. The region is a difficult area where there are conflicts, terrorist acts – I mean Georgia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia. Hopefully, this investment will mean that the possibilities for discussing serious peace will increase.
