Via AFP:

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday pledged that Russia would prove a hospitable host of the Winter Olympic Games which open in three days in Sochi amid a litany of concerns about its suitability as a venue.

Putin arrived in the Sochi region ahead of Friday's opening ceremony in typically confident mood, taking top IOC members to meet leopards being bred in the Sochi region as part of a re-introduction programme.

But analysts have said that Putin has staked his personal reputation on the success of the Games, which have been inextricably linked with his name ever since he spearheaded t...

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