Bangkok--Jan 20--Aziam Burson-Marsteller
The Moscow 2012 Bid Committee is proud to announce that Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova has agreed to become an Ambassador to promote Moscow as the Host City for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
"For Moscow to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games would be a dream for me and millions of other Russians, and I am looking forward to helping
explain why Moscow should host the Games," said Maria Sharapova. "Russia has a very strong history of sport and having the Olympic Games in Moscow in 2012 would be a new and brilliant chapter in that history," she added.
Welcoming her as an Ambassador, the Mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, said: "We are delighted that Maria Sharapova, a bright young sports star, has
agreed to be an international ambassador for our bid. She is an example of the finest Russia has to offer the world, and she is the perfect symbol for Moscow's bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games."
As the year's first Grand Slam event, the Australian Open, begins today the 17-year-old Russian hopes to build on her success of last year ? winning
Wimbledon in July and the WTA Tour Championships in November.
Sharapova joins a prestigious and growing list of sports stars and other eminent persons to endorse Moscow's bid to host the 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games. Among the Ambassadors are boxing champion Kostya Tszyu and the entire Russian Olympic team from Athens 2004.
Sharapova recently played an exhibition match with Venus Williams in Chiang Mai which attracted more than 4000 spectators of all ages. She also paid a
courtesy visit on Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawtra and presented a check for USD 10,000 to aid victims of the tsunami disaster. End.