Medvedev: Sochi shall become world-class resort

Four out of 14 sporting objects built for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi will be moved to other cities, two will be re-profiled and eight will retain their functionality and, along with new transportation and engineering facilities, are intended to transform Sochi into a world-class resort. This was stated by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev at a sitting dedicated to preparation for the Olympics.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the training centre for figure skating will be moved from Sochi to Stavropol; the ice arena for curling - to Rostov-on-Don; the small Olympic ice arena - to Vladikavkaz; and the training arena for hockey will go to Astrakhan.

"In fact, preparation for the Olympic Games has entered its final phase," said Mr Medvedev on January 4 at a sitting held in a ski resort "Roza Khutor" in the Krasnodar Territory.

"For us, it is equally important, and, maybe, even more important, to leave after the Olympics here in Sochi as many objects for life and rest as possible. 85 percent of the Olympic budget will be spent on building the modern infrastructure, namely, the social, transportation and energy structures. And I must state that changes are obvious. Of course, we should think about ecology and development of tourism. The aim is to make Sochi a world-level resort. Therefore, we need new roads, tunnels and utilities," the "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" quotes President as saying.

"At the same time, we need to address a variety of problems, including ensuring enough snow. It's in fact the second winter in a row without snow in January. Although the Olympics will be held in another month, we need to make sure to escape the problems Vancouver faced last year," the "Gazeta.ru" continues quoting Mr Medvedev.

After the president highlighted high tariffs in Sochi hotels, Deputy Minister of Russia's Regional Development Yuri Reiljan said that by 2014 Sochi plans to build 30 new hotels with 25,400 rooms and repair 3000 rooms in three-, four- and five-star hotels. More three-star hotels will be built.

The sitting also paid attention to domestic problems of residents in the areas adjacent to Olympic venues. In particular, Dmitri Medvedev ordered to accelerate gasification of these settlements, the website of the President of the Russian Federation reports.

Meanwhile, residents of the Imereti Lowland in the Adler District of Sochi, where the Olympic construction is in full swing, state violations of their rights to land and complain that the plans for development of the territory are kept secret from the local population.