A BITTER battle has broken out between Russia's powerful multi-billionaire businessmen to sponsor the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, insidethegames can exclusively reveal.

 

As Sochi today officially unveild the categories that are available to top tier domestic sponsors, insidethegames can detail the extraordinary lengths Russia's oligarchs are going to ensure that they are involved in sponsoring the Games, which the country's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has made a personal project.

 

A source at the White House, the home of the Russian Government, told insidethegames that several oligrachs are desperate to be involved in the Games and retain favour with Putin.

 

He said: "The sponsorship acquisition programme for Sochi 2014 is seeing a power-play between some of the most influential companies and individuals in Russia.  

 

"Despite the worldwide recession, there is increasing competition between Russian companies vying for the tier one sponsorship packages for Sochi 2014. 

 

"Many of the companies, are lobbying hard against each other to be granted the prestigious rights for Russia’s first ever Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in one of the fastest growing and most sought-after regions in Europe."

 

The sponsorship categories launched today included metallurgy, oil, gas, banking services, telecommunication ervices and sportswear and apparel.

 

Among the categories being the most fiercely contested is the telecommunications where Vladimir Evtushenkov, the head of MTS, is leading the race in the hope that sponsoring the 2014 Games will bring him closer to Putin.

 

But he faces tough competion from Megafon, which is controlled by Russia's former Telecom Minister, and Beeline, whose managing director is Alexander Izosimov.

 

Oil, on which many of the oligarchs have built their fortunes, including Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, is another category where things are expected to heat up.

 

Russia's Mnistry of Natural Resources are backing Rosneft , whose president is Sergey Bogdanchikov, but Lukoil are also fighting to win the sponsorship.

 

Their president is Vagit Alekperov, the 48th richest man in the world, and close to Putin.

 

Banking, which many believed would be the most difficult to find a sponsor for in the current economic climate, is also attracting a lot of interest.

 

Sberbank, VTB, MDM and Gazprom are all interested.

 

Dmitry Chernyshenko, the president and chief executive of Sochi 2014, said in an official press release today: “A partnership with the Sochi 2014 organising committee will provide unprecedented opportunities for our strategic partners and will help to realize their most ambitious plans and projects.

 

"We are not just choosing commercial partners - we are choosing allies."

 

A strong sponsorship programme for Sochi could also considerably boost Russia's chances of hosting the 2018 World Cup.

 

The Russian Government have yet to officially announce that they will bid for the tournament, which England and Australia are also hoping to host, but it is widely predicted that they will early in the New Year.

 

The Russian Government source told insidethegames that for the companies hoping to be involved with Sochi it is as much as keeping their close links with Putin.

 

He said: "There seems to be as much interest in the political benefits of sponsoring the Games as from the traditional name awareness increase and image enhancement that comes with Olympic sponsorships.

 

"The situation is intensifying as different departments within the Government are getting more involved in the lobbying by different potential sponsors."