Putin Concerns for Sochi Olympic Bid

(ATR) Reports from Moscow indicate that Vladimir Putin is unhappy with the battles over a key venue in the Sochi bid for the 2014 Olympics. A court shut down the Krasnaya Polyana ski resort this week over safety concerns, though it has re-opened. Inspectors closed the slopes Monday, saying the ski lift was not safe. The ski lift operator charges the regional government of engineering the shutdown as a way to gain control of the resort. The resort is the site for the freestyle skiing competition in the Sochi bid. Plans call for the venue to hold as many as 28,000 spectators, which would be the biggest-ever crowd for the event at an Olympics. Krasnaya Polyana was back in operation Wednesday, but not in time to avoid the displeasure of Putin. In a meeting Tuesday with press in attendance, the Russsian president says he did not share the opinion of Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref that "everything has been working smoothly" for the Sochi bid. After Gref''s comments, Putin replied curtly: "I don''t share your optimism, but we will talk about it in greater detail when the press leaves." Following the meeting, Gref said that there were "problems with the speed" at which the lift operator, Alpika-Service, was delivering its commitments ahead of the visit of the IOC 2014 Evaluation Commission in February. "We''ll talk to the company," Gref says, adding that the government was prepared to step in to prepare for the crucial IOC trip. The Moscow Times newspaper reports that the owner of Alpika, Pyotr Fedin, is accusing Krasnodar Regional Governor Alexander Tkachyov of trying to close the company. "They would like to bankrupt us and shut us down by fair means or foul," he says. A spokesman for Putin says the Krasnodar regional government has helped Sochi make the shortlist for 2012. An aide to the Krasnodar governor says the safety inspections were part of efforts to upgrade Sochi venues and only the Alpika location had problems among several inspected. But Fedin tells the Moscow Times that the Krasnodar governor asked him to hand over a 50 percent share in the business three years ago. That has led to continuing pressure on his company by the government, Fedin says. He says the resort has received at least 25 inspections since Jan. 3. Fedin says accusations from inspectors that 800 tourists were left stranded on a lift Jan 4. were "nonsense", as backup generators are in place. Your best source of news about the race for the 2014 Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only. (Copyright 1992 2007, all rights reserved. The information in this report may not be published, excerpted, or otherwise distributed in print or broadcast without the express prior consent of Around the Rings.)