Russia proposes to hold the 2014 Olympic Games near Sochi which as a city-candidate has a good chance of winning the competition and becoming the Olympic City-2014. The Russian Government has decided to provide more than $ 11 billion for the preparation works.
Unfortunately the majority of Olympic objects as well as 70 km of asphalt roads are to be built on the territories of Sochi National Park and of the “Western Caucasus”. World Heritage Site In order to do so the Western Caucasus forests which have survived intact until present by a fortunate accident of history will be cut down, other unique ecosystems will suffer great damage. During all Olympic history there had never been such a large-scale destruction of intact nature as that proposed (and already started) for the Sochi games.
The Caucasus is one of few World Centers of Biodiversity. The ecosystems that will be dramatically changed as a result of Olympic plans are some of the last intact mountain ecosystems of Europe. The crucial habitats of many species included in the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species are situated here.
Such destruction of natural ecosystems, including the protected nature reserves contradicts Russian legislation as well as Russian international obligations arising from the ratification of the World Heritage Convention and the Principles of the World Olympic Movement. If the Sochi Olympic Games take place they will become not only the most expensive but also the most anti-environmental Olympic Games ever held..
The European Greens call upon the Russian government instead destroying the unique ecosystems of the Western Caucasus to spend the $ billions to solve the numerous social problems of the Russian population, to reduce the poverty of a significant part of the Russian people, a humiliation for any developed country, and to increase the lifespan of Russians which is the lowest among all the developed countries.
The European Greens call upon the International Olympic Committee to reject Russia’s application to conduct the Winter Olympic Games-2014 in Sochi.
