Ria-Novosti Roundup: Sochi Budget Stolen; Olympic Torch; Rogge on Sochi

Most of Sochi Olympic Budget Stolen - Russian Ex-Minister

As much as $30 billion of the budget for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics has been stolen, according to a report published Thursday and co-authored by a former Russian minister.

Russia’s first Winter Olympics are set to be the most expensive in history, with a price tag of $50 billion, and have attracted frequent claims of widespread corruption.

The report by former energy minister Boris Nemtsov, an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin, and activist Leonid Martinyuk claims that the Olympic facilities should cost $20 billion when compared to the prices of similar projects in other countries.

"The overall size of embezzlement amounts to around $25 billion to $30 billion, or 50 to 60 percent of the final cost announced for the Olympics," the report states. "And that’s a minimum."

"We aren’t even taking into account that the slave labor of migrant workers is used at the Olympics. We aren’t taking into account that the quality of the work that has been done does not compare in any way whatsoever with the quality of building in [former Winter Olympic hosts] Vancouver, Turin and Salt Lake City."

The report’s authors name several leading Russian business and political figures who they suggest have improperly profited from the Games.

International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said he had only seen news of Nemtsov's report, not the document itself.

Adams said the IOC had "no issues at all" with the "normal" operational budget for the Games of 200 billion rubles ($6.3 billion). Regarding the infrastructure budget, Adams said it was a question for the Russian government.

"In terms of questions about corruption the Russian authorities are taking the Games project, as you'd expect, very seriously, and questions about corruption have so far been addressed pretty much head-on from the president down," Adams said.

Putin has previously said that corruption fears will not affect preparation for the Games.

On Thursday, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge praised the speed of Russia’s preparations at a meeting with Putin.

In 2010, then-President Dmitry Medvedev, now Prime Minister, ordered prosecutors to investigate corruption in Sochi, but there have been no high-profile convictions.

Published by exclusive arrangement with RIA Novosti, host news agency of Sochi 2014.

Putin: Olympic Torch Like a Kalashnikov Rifle

The torch for next year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi is like a Kalashnikov rifle, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, during a visit to St. Petersburg. Putin watched as the torch was taken apart and put back together, prompting him to quip that the torch’s gas pipe resembles the barrel of the famous Soviet-designed weapon.

"No matter what you try and make in Russia, it always turns out like a Kalashnikov," he joked.

More than 14,000 torchbearers are set to take part in the record-breaking 65,000 kilometer route.

The torch relay will start on October 7 and end with the February 7 opening ceremony.

A host of athletes have already signed up to take part in the relay, including hockey star Alex Ovechkin, pole vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva, footballer Alexander Kerzhakov and 12-time Olympic medal-winning gymnast Alexei Nemov.

Earlier Thursday, Putin attended the unveiling of the medals for the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Kalashnikov was adopted by the Soviet Army in 1949 and has been a mainstay of armed forces around the world since then, in various versions.

Putin has been shown shooting a range of firearms during his time in office, contributing to his image as a macho leader.

Perhaps his most famous shot was taken with a non-lethal weapon, in an incident in 2009 when he tranquilized a Siberian tiger with a dart gun.

Published by exclusive arrangement with RIA Novosti, host news agency of Sochi 2014.

Rogge: Russia on Track for Fantastic Sochi 2014

Russia is setting a good pace in preparing to host the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and the Games will be "fantastic," International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

Russia is set to host the most expensive Olympics in history, with government estimates putting the price tag at $50 billion.

"We really like the tempo that has been adopted in preparations for the Olympics in Sochi," Rogge said. "We think that the Olympic Games will be fantastic."

The Olympics will be held from February 7 to 23 next year.

Published by exclusive arrangement with RIA Novosti, host news agency of Sochi 2014.

IOC Wrestling Decision Should be 'Just' – Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he hopes wrestling will be reinstituted as an Olympic sport based on "just" and "well-reasoned" decision-making.

The International Olympic Committee cut the sport from the 2020 Games in February, galvanizing global backlash and prompting an unlikely advocacy partnership between wrestling governing bodies in Russia, Iran and the United States.

That, along with the world governing body FILA’s pledge to introduce rule changes aimed at making the sport more viewer-friendly, contributed to the wrestling’s placement Wednesday on an IOC shortlist for the last competition spot in 2020. Squash and a joint baseball and softball bid are the other finalists.

"I know that the final decision will be made later," Putin said after a meeting with IOC officials in St. Petersburg. "I hope that the decision will be just, well-reasoned and will serve to consolidate and develop the Olympic movement, which has always rested on its ancient traditions."

Putin has been a strong opponent of the IOC’s decision to eliminate wrestling following the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics since it was announced in February.

The IOC will make a final ruling in September in Buenos Aires.

Published by exclusive arrangement with RIA Novosti, host news agency of Sochi 2014.