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SOCHI, Russia -- IOC President Thomas Bach paid tribute Tuesday to the victims of the recent suicide bombings in southern Russia that killed 34 people and heightened security concerns for the Sochi Olympics. Bach spoke at a ceremony in the athletes village to urge compliance with the "Olympic Truce," a symbolic resolution urging warring parties to cease hostilities during the games. "We remember and grieve for the innocent victims of conflict, and especially the recent victims in Volgograd," Bach said. "Our presence here today is a rebuke to those whose motives and goals stand in sharp contrast to the spirit of harmony and global solidarity at these games." An Islamic militant group from the North Caucasus region claimed responsibility for the back-to-back bombings in late December in Volgograd, about 640 kilometres (400 miles) east of Sochi, and threatened to strike the Olympics. Russia has mounted a massive security operation to guard the games, which open Friday and run through Feb. 23. Tens of thousands of military and police personnel have been deployed, along with warships, drone aircraft and anti-missile batteries. The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution in November calling for a global truce during the Sochi Games. Similar resolutions have been passed going back to the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. "We are not naive," Bach said. "We know our limits." The IOC leader said the Olympic Village is a symbol of peace. "Men and women from different backgrounds, different cultures, different religions and different perspectives live side-by-side in harmony," he said. Bachs use of the term "different perspectives" could be seen as a reference to sexual orientation. The buildup to Sochi has been overshadowed by an international outcry against a Russian law banning gay "propaganda" among minors. Activists and some politicians called for a boycott of the games over the issue. "We must never let politics or other outside forces spoil this spirit," Bach said. Among those attending the ceremony was Russian pole vault star Yelena Isinbayeva, who is serving as the "mayor" of the Olympic Village in the coastal cluster of venues. Isinbayeva made headlines in August at the world athletics championships when she condemned homosexuality, saying Russians have "normal" heterosexual relations. The next day, she said her comments in English may have been misunderstood and that she is against any discrimination. Isinbayeva declined further comment Tuesday on the Russian laws butSvetlana Zhurova, mayor of one of the other two athletes villages in the mountains above Sochi, said the issue had been overblown, was unfairly clouding the buildup to the games and she was fed up with fielding questions about it. Zhurova, the 2006 Olympic speedskating gold medallist , urged activists not to use the Winter Games as a platform for protests. "For the spectators it is more important who wins than whether he or she is homosexual or not," she said. "This doesnt matter. Im sure there will be no problems." Tuesdays ceremony began in embarrassing fashion for the hosts. As Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak prepared to speak, the plastic lectern collapsed onto the ground. Bach drew laughs when he said: "We can see that sport can break down walls this morning." Members of the IOCs executive board toured the Olympic Village, which will accommodate about 2,200 athletes along the Black Sea coast. Two other smaller villages are located in the mountain cluster above Sochi. Bach chatted with athletes, grabbed some lunch in the cafeteria and played table tennis in the recreation room. "The village is really magnificent," he said. "What the athletes appreciate is the proximity to the competition venues. I just spoke to a female American speedskater and Russian ice hockey player and the first thing they say is, We can walk from here to our training sessions." Bach has his own room in the village, keeping a tradition started by his predecessor, Jacques Rogge, though he also stays in a luxury hotel nearby during IOC meetings. "One of the greatest privileges of an IOC president is you can ask for a room in the Olympic Village," Bach said. "Its here where the Olympic spirit lives." Discount New Balance Shoes . Louis Cardinals continued their offensive tear with a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a four-game series. Cheap New Balance Shoes China . -- The Denver Broncos are shuffling their offensive line this off-season and Orlando Franklin provided some insight into their plans Monday by tweeting that hes moving from right tackle to left guard. http://www.newbalancediscount.com/ . He was signed to help with depth to the receiving corps because of the loss of Shamawd Chambers to the 6-game injured list. New Balance Shoes Clearance Sales . The 31-year-old Russian dominated the No. 3-ranked Ferrer throughout, breaking the defending champion and local favourite four times on the indoor hard court. Wholesale New Balance Shoes . Phoenix got injured centre Emeka Okafor and a top-12-protected first-round draft pick in 2014 -- giving the rebuilding Suns potentially four choices in the opening round. The Suns also sent guards Kendall Marshall, Shannon Brown and Malcolm Lee to Washington so the deal will work financially.BETHESDA, Md. -- Patrick Reed is not interested in talking about being top five in the world. He only cares about PGA Tour victory No. 4. Reed, who turned off some of his peers when he won at Doral and said he was among the top five players in the world, held it together Saturday at steamy Congressional for an even-par 71 to build a two-shot lead in the Quicken Loans National. As if Congressional wasnt difficult, the rest of the field now has to chase a guy who has won all three previous PGA Tour events when he had at least a share of the lead going into the final round. On a day when making pars often meant moving forward, Reed overcame three bogeys in a seven-hole stretch by playing the last five holes at 1 under for a two-shot margin over Seung-yul Noh, Freddie Jacobson and Marc Leishman. "You cant get ahead of yourself," Reed said. "If you think about having the lead or if you think about what youre going to do coming down 18, youre going to lose focus on the rest of the holes." Reed was at 6-under 207. The final round will have a player in the last group with a red shirt, only it wont be tournament host Tiger Woods, who missed the cut. Reed has been wearing a red shirt and black pants on Sunday to pattern himself after Woods. He also cited Woods when asked which player was his idol in being confident. Reed took that to a new level when he won at Doral and said he felt he was among the top five in the world. He currently is No. 29. "You cant play this game with lack of confidence," Reed said. "So just one of those things that, you know, were all trying to strive for the same thing, and some guys get there and thats all were trying to do." Dating to his first PGA Tour win at the Wyndham Championship last August, the only top 10s Reed has had have been victories. He attributes his sporadic play to his wife having their first child last month. Now, Reed says his life is becoming settled and his game is rounding into shape. Noh finished off his 5-under 66 -- the best score of the third round -- about the time the leaders went off. He was at 4-under 209, which looked better by the hour. Jacobson made four birdies in his opening eight holes to reach 8 under, only to take double bogey on the 11th hole and a sloppy bogey on the par-5 16th hole. He wound up with a 71. Leishman was still only one shot behind until he failed to get up-and-down for par on the 17th and fell to a 73.dddddddddddd "At the start of the day, we probably knew that anything under par was going to be a really good score," Leishman said. "I actually said to my caddie, It feels a bit like a U.S. Open because there were a few pins that you really didnt have a chance to get at. But I think thats good. Its a tough golf course. Its long. If youre not in the fairway, you have no chance." Reed was not in the fairway on two holes where he made birdie, and he managed to pull it off. In deep rough to the right of the fourth fairway, he was 169 yards away and decided to smash a 9-iron to clear the bunker instead of trying a soft 8-iron. It worked out perfectly. The ball bounded past the hole and up a slope, and slowly rolled back to within inches of the cup. "I thought there was about a 3 per cent chance I could cover that bunker, and I ended up being perfect," Reed said. "It was nice whenever I saw it roll up the hill and I saw it come back down because I thought, All right, we have about 5, 7 feet for birdie. Didnt know it was a couple inches, which was nice." Oliver Goss of Australia, the U.S. Amateur runner-up last year making his second pro start, was part of a four-way tie for the lead going into the third round. He was still in the mix until a three-putt from 10 feet for double bogey on No. 11. He had a 76, though he was still only five shots behind. Justin Rose was within two shots of the lead after a hot start, only to make bogey on the par-5 ninth and a double bogey on the 11th hole. He battled back with a pair of late birdies, only to drop another shot on the 18th for a 71. Even so, he was only three shots behind. This could be a perfect fit for a U.S. Open champion. None of the last 26 players who teed off broke 70. Rose took note of the rapidly changing colour of the greens, and his only fear was officials watering the greens overnight, which would make it easier for the early starters. "Id be a fan of them letting them go a little bit and making this a tough tournament and sort of having another U.S. Open," Rose said. "That would be my wish right now. But obviously, the course is firm. Wedges were releasing 10 yards by the end of the day. Its definitely a test. It was fun. I enjoy that type of golf." ' ' '