IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 421 

Calling on the International Olympic Committee to designate a new venue 

for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2008 

Ms. SCHWARTZ (for herself, Mr. SHUSTER, Mr. GERLACH, Mr. MCCOTTER, 

Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. GINGREY, Mr. 

PITTS, Mr. DAVIS of Alabama, and Mr. LIPINSKI) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Affairs 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Calling on the International Olympic Committee to designate 

a new venue for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. 

Whereas, in July 2007, the City of Sochi in the Russian Federation was narrowly selected as the host site for the 

2014 Winter Olympic Games; 

Whereas the City of Sochi lies approximately 20 miles from 

the border between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Georgia; 

Whereas, on August 8, 2008, only 400 days after the Russian 

Federation was selected as the host country for the 2014 

Games, military forces of the Russian Federation invaded 

the Republic of Georgia in contravention of international 

law, the United Nations Charter, the principles of the 


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•HCON 421 IH 

Olympic Charter, and the Sochi Agreement of 1992, 

which governs the conduct of Russian peacekeepers in the 

region of South Ossetia; 

Whereas the invasion of the Republic of Georgia by the Russian Federation coincided with the opening ceremonies of 

the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, contributing to the perception that the occasion of the Olympics was utilized to divert international attention away 

from the invasion of the Republic of Georgia; 

Whereas military forces of the Russian Federation have advanced into and attacked the territory of the Republic of 

Georgia, grossly exceeding any mandate of Russian 

peacekeepers in South Ossetia, and officials of the Government of the Russian Federation have sought to oust 

the democratically elected Government of the Republic of 

Georgia; 

Whereas the actions of the Government of the Russian Federation contravene the principles of the Olympic Charter, 

which states that one of the Fundamental Principles of 

Olympism is to use sport toward ‘‘the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society’’; 

Whereas it is politically, economically, and practically untenable to hold the modern Olympic Games in close proximity to a zone of conflict; 

Whereas the actions of the Government of the Russian Federation have created a zone of conflict less than 20 miles 

from the City of Sochi, the proposed site of the 2014 

Winter Olympic Games; 

Whereas there are other excellent venues available to host the 

2014 Winter Olympic Games, including the cities of SalzVerDate Aug 31 2005 05:18 Sep 19, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC421.IH HC421

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•HCON 421 IH 

burg, Austria, and PyeongChang, South Korea, both of 

which were selected as finalists to host the 2010 Winter 

Olympic Games and the 2014 Winter Olympic Games; 

Whereas the cities of Jaca, Spain, Almaty, Kazakhstan, 

Sofia, Bulgaria, and Borjomi, Georgia, also submitted 

bids to the International Olympic Committee to host the 

2014 Winter Olympic Games; and 

Whereas there is still sufficient time to designate a new host 

city for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games and to allow the 

new host city adequate time to prepare to host a successful Olympics: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 

3 (1) the failure of the Government of the Rus4 sian Federation to respect the sovereignty and terri5 torial borders of its neighbors has rendered the 

6 country an unacceptable host for the 2014 Winter 

7 Olympic Games; 

8 (2) it is practically and financially untenable to 

9 hold the 2014 Winter Olympic Games less than 20 

10 miles from a zone of conflict, particularly when the 

11 prospective host country has played a significant role 

12 in the escalation of that conflict; 

13 (3) the International Olympic Committee would 

14 not have selected Sochi as the host city for the 2014 

15 Winter Olympic Games if its members had anticiVerDate Aug 31 2005 05:18 Sep 19, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC421.IH HC421

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•HCON 421 IH 

1 pated that the Russian Federation would invade the 

2 Republic of Georgia; and 

3 (4) the International Olympic Committee should 

4 move immediately to designate a new host city for 

5 the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. 

Æ 


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