2014 Russian Winter Olympics Face Challenges: Talk with Vancouver

“We are looking forward to sharing knowledge and learning from the expertise of the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee for the benefit of Sochi, Russia

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 24 (Reuters) - SNC-Lavalin Group Inc (SNC.TO) signed an agreement on Wednesday to manage the construction and maintenance of roads and railways for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Canadian Trade Minister Stockwell Day said.
…SNC, Canada's biggest engineering company, also officially opened an office on Wednesday in Sochi, a port city on the Black Sea.

 

The new tunnels, which will extend for about 25km (16 miles) in total will further cut journey times, already shortened by the opening of an initial tunnel several years ago by then president Vladimir Putin, a keen skier and crucial backer of the 2014 Olympics who owns a condo in the area.

When Russian president in 2007, Mr Putin was credited with helping Sochi's winning bid, after he addressed delegates in three languages - English, Spanish and French. It was reportedly the first time he had spoken English at a public ceremony.

MOSCOW -- Russia will slash its state budget for the 2014 Winter Olympics by more than US$600-million due to the economic crisis but promised that state-controlled companies would make up the difference.
...State-run Rosneft, Russia's leading oil firm, pledged $180 million for the Games in February, after state-controlled long-distance telephone firm Rostelecom and mobile phone operator MegaFon pledged $460 million combined.

  The Austrian city of Salzburg, which lost out to Sochi for the right to host the 2014 winter games, said in November it was still prepared to do so if the Russian host was unable to complete infrastructure construction in time.

SOCHI, Russia - After a top IOC official warns that any delays could threaten Russia's ambitious plans for the 2014 Winter Games in this Black Sea resort, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin assures construction and financing are on schedule.
...Most of the venues for Russia's first Winter Olympics are being built from scratch in the subtropical city, including the seaside site that will include ice arenas, a ceremonial stadium and the main Olympic Village. Another major project is a new road and rail link from the shore to the mountains inland at Krasnaya Polyana, where snow sport events will be held.

...Russia's Olympic plans have faced opposition from environmentalists and Sochi residents who will be evicted from their homes to make way for the Games. Critics also have said the Olympics will leave the balmy resort city with unneeded ice venues....In televised remarks, he suggested dismantling three of them after the Games and moving them to other Russian cities "with the aim of developing winter sports and popularizing the Olympic movement.''

The IOC visit came weeks after a candidate from Putin's party was elected mayor of Sochi in a vote labelled fraudulent by his main challenger, Kremlin foe Boris Nemtsov, who has said the Olympics would leave Sochi with unneeded venues and called for many of the events to be moved to Moscow.

Another potential controversy surrounding the games is Sochi's proximity to the separatist Abkhazia region in neighbouring Georgia.

They also faced mounting difficulty in acquiring land necessary for Olympic infrastructure because owners were refusing to sell at prices offered by the government, the Prime-TASS news agency said.

The Black Sea resort has a unique combination of spring-like weather and cold temperatures in the nearby Krasnaya Polyana mountains, which Mr Putin - a keen skier - said would guarantee snow.