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Over half of Russians follow preparations for Sochi Olympic Games

MOSCOW, January 15 (Itar-Tass) - More than 60 percent of Russians are interested in preparations for the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, as follows from a recent opinion poll, conducted by the Russian National Public Opinion Studies Center (VTsIOM).

VTsIOM statistics show that residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg (about 71 percent) are among those most thrilled over the forthcoming Olympics, followed by senior citizens (66 percent of the 45-59-year-old respondents) and higher income groups (66 percent).

As for various sports contested in the Winter Olympics, Russians say they will, first of all, be watching figure skating telecasts (30 percent), biathlon (25 percent) and ice hockey (36 percent). Sociologists also note that while men seem to be more interested in ice hockey (36 percent), women prefer figure skating (43 percent).

The survey was conducted on November 2-3, 2013 when 1,600 men and women of age in 130 cities and villages in 42 Russian regions were interviewed. The margin of error was about three percent.

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