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The personal appeal and power of Russian President Vladimir Putin swayed just enough votes among Olympic leaders Wednesday to bring his nation its first Winter Olympics — bitterly disappointing South Korea and Austria.
International Olympic Committee members credited Putin's personal lobbying for the 51-47 victory that put the 2014 games in Sochi, a Black Sea resort where the snow-capped Caucasus mountains rise from some of Russia's warmest beaches.
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International Olympic Committee members credited Putin's personal lobbying for the 51-47 victory that put the 2014 games in Sochi, a Black Sea resort where the snow-capped Caucasus mountains rise from some of Russia's warmest beaches.
