Urals on display during Olympic opening ceremony
As Russia showed off its history, culture, traditions and industry Friday during the opening ceremony for the 2014 Winter Olympics, Ural Motorcycles were given a moment at center stage.
Twenty red Ural sidecar motorcycles paraded across Olympic Stadium in Sochi during a portion of the program dedicated to the achievements Russia has accomplished post-World War II. Urals are produced in Irbit, Russia.
“I feel very proud, really,” Ural president and CEO Ilya Khait said. “When you see your bikes in the event like this — you realize you’re a part of the history and the heritage of a huge country. And it gives you more reasons to keep going. From the business standpoint — to be seen by 3 billion people all over the world and get paid for it (organizers bought every single one of the 20 Urals) — that’s one hell of a product placement!”