(ATR) The IOC’s Sochi chief says he is not concernedabout the postponement of the first test event for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, due to heavy snowfall.
Jean-Claude Killy, the French IOC member who heads the 2014 coordination commission, insisted he had no major concerns about the new Rosa Khutor ski resort after the FIS Europa Cup men's downhill was postponed.
"It's extremely unusual that during a week of competition, something is not postponed, whether it is in Kitzbuehel (Austria), Courchevel (France), wherever," Killy was quoted by The Associated Press.
Russian media reports said heavy snowfalls at skiing resorts in the Krasnaya Polyana mountains on Feb. 15 had prevented some pistes from operating at their full capacity - around 60 cm of snow fell that night with visibility poor on some slopes.
The men's downhill will now take place on Friday along with the Super-G. Women's Europa Cup races are scheduled to be held at Rosa Khutor Feb. 22 to 26.
Killy met today with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak and Sochi 2014 president and CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko to discuss the progress of preparations. Also in the IOC delegation touring venues was Rene Fasel, president of the Association of International Winter Olympic Federations.
Killy applauded Olympic organizers for their efforts on the construction effort and across the project.
Killy, a triple Olympic champion at the 1968 Olympics, described progress since his last visit to the Black Sea resort two months ago as "unbelievable".
While most mountain venues are complete, other facilities arebeing built from scratch. The Olympic Park coastal cluster of ice venues is one of Europe's biggest construction sites. More than 250 venue and infrastructure projects are being built for the Games.
Killy is also understood to have met briefly with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who was visiting the Krasnodar region in which Sochi is located.
Putin was there to hold talks with Krasnodar Territory Governor Alexander Tkachev, which included discussions on the state of Sochi's 2014 preparations.
The IOC Coordination Commission chaired by Jean-Claude Killy visits Sochi March 22 to 24.
Written by Mark Bisson
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