With the approval of biathlon, the IOC today finalised the venue locations proposed by the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee in the Krasnaya Polyana Mountain Cluster, following the decision taken earlier this year to relocate some of the sites because of environmental considerations. This decision, which was the last step in approvals for the new locations, paves the way for Sochi 2014 to move forward with planning, design and construction in the mountain area.

Commenting on the decision, IOC Coordination Commission Chairman, Jean-Claude Killy said, “The Sochi Organising Committee has always been committed to the athletes and the environment. The new locations for these venues don’t just provide the athletes with the best possible facilities, they will also ensure that any environmental impact is kept to a minimum.” He continued, “We are pleased to see that the Sochi 2014 project has support from the highest level of government down. It is this commitment to the Games and the Olympic values that have made this progress possible and which keep the Sochi Games on track.”

President and CEO of Sochi 2014 Dmitry Chernyshenko said:

“During this project review visit of the IOC to Moscow, we discussed the foundations that have already been laid for the successful hosting of the 2014 Winter Games. The meetings with the IOC's representatives were very fruitful – during these meetings Sochi 2014 reported on all the key areas of work in delivering the 2014 Winter Games. We showed the IOC the system of integrated management which will allow the monitoring and realization of 7000 programs and projects which are related to Games organization and which we are responsible for. We also agreed with the IOC experts on the final location of our Olympic venues.

The Sochi 2014 proposal is unique because the Mountain Cluster in Sochi is one of the most compact in the history of the Winter Games. It proves that the decision to relocate the Games venues was absolutely right. Moreover, it will actually result in a reduction in our budget.”

The decision on the venues came during a Project Review meeting in Moscow, which was attended by Killy and IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli. In addition, Sochi also reported on its work relating to its transport infrastructure and transport strategy for the Games. During this presentation, the IOC also agreed to the proposition initiated by Prime Minister Putin to reduce and minimise the environmental impact of transport in the mountain and valley area, between Adler and Krasnaya Polyana, by limiting the number of train lines from two to one and the width of the road from four to three lanes.

“At any edition of the Games, and perhaps even more so in Winter Games, the transport system is key,” said Jean-Claude Killy. “Sochi 2014 and its local partners are working on solutions that will greatly improve transport in this region not just for Olympic visitors but for local residents for many years to come. However, as I’ve said in the past, time is short and there is no time to be lost if these ambitious proposals are to be ready in time.”

President and CEO of Sochi 2014 Dmitry Chernyshenko said:

“All construction work will be completed according to the schedule. In fact, construction work in several venues within the Mountain cluster is ahead of schedule and construction in the Imeretinskaya Valley will start soon”.

The project review meeting also looked at a number of other functional areas linked to Games organisation, such as sport, NOC services, technology, marketing, accommodation, and communications.

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