RIA Novosti Appointed Host News Agency for Sochi Olympics

Online, September 27, 2011 (Newswire.com) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has appointed Russian News & Information Agency RIA Novosti as the Host National News Agency and the National Olympic Photo Pool for theSochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

The IOC's Press Commission Chairman Kevan Gosper announced the Committee's decision to RIA Novosti editor-in-chief Svetlana Mironyuk during his September visit to Moscow.

"We are proud to announce that RIA Novosti was chosen as the Host National News Agency for the Sochi 2014 Olympics," Gosper said at a RIA Novosti press conference. The IOC appreciated RIA Novosti's efforts in promoting Olympic values and informing its audience about the preparation process for the games, he added.

As the Host National News Agency for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, RIA Novosti will enjoy similar status and privileges to the world news agencies officially recognized by the IOC, the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

The responsibilities of the Host News Agency also include providing national news, sports and pictorial coverage of the Games with a focus on the host nation's athletes, and making such coverage widely available to the Russian media.

"We are sure that RIA Novosti team will provide full news coverage for the Russian and International audience of the Sochi Olympic Games and other events within the Olympics," Gosper said.

Mironyuk said RIA Novosti was honored to receive Host News Agency status.

"This is the first time Russian media outlet has been appointed as the Host News Agency for the Olympic Games. On the one hand, it's a great honor and responsibility, on the other hand, it's a wonderful opportunity for us to make a big qualitative step in development and take a place in the team of the world's news agencies," Mironyuk said.

The IOC's delegation in Moscow, headed by Gosper, also included the Committee's Head of Media Relations, Anthony Edgar as well as sports editors from the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. The members of the delegation met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, who oversees the preparations for the Sochi Winter Games, and discussed the media infrastructure for the Olympics.

Kozak congratulated RIA Novosti and said the Games organizers would make significant efforts to make the Olympics media-friendly, since the media infrastructure of big national events is often poorly organized.

RIA Novosti is Russia's leading news agency in terms of multimedia technologies, website audience reach and use by the Russian media.

The agency's media holding comprises the eponymous News and Information Agency, PRIME Business news agency, the Legal Information Agency (RAPSI), Sports news agency R-Sport, Moskovskiye Novosti Publishing House, an International Press Center and over 70 news web sites in 14 languages.

As of July 2011, the Monthly Reach of the web sites, affiliated with RIA Novosti exceeded 17 million unique visitors.