Sochi on track

Russian government officials have brushed off concerns over corruption and delays to insist the venues hosting the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi will be completed well ahead of schedule.

The first Olympic Games to be held in Russia since the boycott-hit Moscow Games in 1980 should herald another step forward on sport’s world stage for the former Soviet Union.

But since 2007, when the Black Sea resort was awarded the Games, the stakeholders in charge of hosting Russia’s first Winter Olympics have come under much scrutiny.

Last year Taimuraz Bolloyev, the head of Olympstroy, the company responsible for Sochi’s $12 billion construction programme, re-signed from his post amid growing claims of corruption.

Only a month ago, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had to personally intervene again amid reports that several Olympic venues were behind schedule.

Many venues are being financed privately, leading to an apparent lack of cohesion and organisation at the many different construction sites.

Russian sports minister Vitaliy Mutko admitted two venues, the bobsleigh course and ski jump, had caused more problems than anticipated.

But Mutko, a former president of the Russian Football Union, was in confident mood during the weekend as the world’s top skiers gave the thumbs-up to the already completed Rosa Khutor alpine venue which hosted Sochi’s first international test events.

“The bobsleigh course and the ski jump arena have caused the most problems as they are the most technically difficult Games venues,” he said.

“But I believe we will be able to finish all the works there in time.”

The Sochi Olympics will be focused on two main areas: the Olympic Cluster, containing the Olympic Stadium and venues which traditionally host stadium sports like ice hockey, figure skating and curling, and the Mountain Cluster.

A visit of the Olympic Cluster revealed a work in progress, notably the Olympic Stadium which will host the opening and closing ceremonies but is the only venue not expected to be finished before the end of 2012.