British Olympic Association chairman Lord Sebastian Coe has stated that he is happy Russia is having the chance to host an Olympic Games once again.
Coe won Olympic gold in the summer Games of 1980, and Sochi's hosting of the 2014 Winter Olympics is the first time he has been back for a sporting event since.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Coe said: "It's great to be back in a Russian Olympic city and this morning I got to run with the Olympic torch.
"It was a slightly shorter distance than when I last ran with the torch in Sheffield, about 150m, and marginally slower than my last Olympic run in the country 34 years ago! The atmosphere on the streets was great.
"It's a different world now and, from a personal perspective, it's a wholly better world for many people."
Coe's Moscow win came in the 1,500m event and he successfully defended it in Los Angeles four years later.
