RIA Novosti Roundup - Sochi's Iceberg Arena to Turn Into Velodrome; Plushenko Slander Complaint

(ATR) Around the Rings rounds up Russia's top stories in Olympic sport, courtesy of our exclusive partnership with Sochi 2014 host news agency RIA Novosti.

Sochi's Iceberg Arena to Turn Into Velodrome

The Iceberg Skating Palace that will play host to Olympic figure skating in Sochi next year will transform into a cycling velodrome after the competition, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said Monday.

The decision was made last year but subsequently thrown into doubt after stern criticism from influential figure skating coach Tatiana Tarasova, who wanted the 12,000-seat venue to remain.

"A final decision has been made," said Kozak, who is in charge of Olympic preparations.

"There will be a cycling track. The town of Sochi is, after all, a very comfortable and suitable place for summer sports, including cycling, because here there is a new transport infrastructure and good road geography that makes for a good training center."

Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said in February that the design work for the velodrome would start this year.

The Iceberg venue will also stage short-track speedskating at the Sochi Olympics.

Another facility of the coastal Olympic Park discovered its legacy on Sunday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing the Small Ice Arena is to be converted into a children's sports and educational center.

Russian Curlers Lack Experience – Official

Russia's curling collapse at the men's world championships in Canada is purely down to a lack of top-level experience, the president of the sport's federation says.

After seven rounds, Russia shares last place with Finland with only a win over the Finns to show for its first appearance at a major competition.

"In all the games, the difference is one or two stones and it is a good result for us," Dmitry Svishchev told R-Sport on Wednesday.

"We lack experience, some technical details, but it’s obvious that Russian curling team is ready to offer serious resistance to any opponent."

Svishchev emphasized that all the necessary conditions for progress were already in place, with next year's Winter Olympics in southern Russia acting as the ideal catalyst.

"We've got our own stadium in Sochi, the financing is provided, the guys are motivated, they receive win bonuses," he said.

"Next year, the men’s team should fight for fifth or sixth place and in two or three years may already reach the podium."

Russia qualifies for the 2014 Winter Olympics as the host nation.

Police Reject Plushenko's Slander Complaint

Russian police told R-Sport on Monday they have rejected a second slander complaint from figure skating star Evgeny Plushenko over claims he had faked an injury.

Police dropped the former Olympic champion's first complaint earlier this year after Eurosport broadcaster Andrei Zhurankov suggested he had fabricated a story about having back surgery in Israel after dropping out of the European Championships in January with an injury.

"A decision has been taken to refuse a criminal investigation," Moscow police told R-Sport in a statement.

Plushenko's spokesperson Tatyana Akimtseva said the skater was considering further legal options.

"We couldgo to court in the format of a private prosecution, or file a defamation suit. Evgeny and I are discussing the options," she said.

Plushenko withdrew from the European championships in Zagreb because of injury after finishing sixth in the short program, and his coach Alexei Mishin said the skater had a back disc replacement at a clinic in Israel.

In the following days, Eurosport commentator Andrei Zhurankov said Plushenko had faked the surgery for public relations purposes.

"In my opinion, there was no such operation, and all this story, considering how it was presented in the mass media – it was an exclusive story by Channel One, only certain media sources got the tip-off to write about it – all this looks like a strategy that is used for various PR actions in showbiz," he said on-air.

Allegations that the injury was faked had originally surfaced in unsourced reports in the Israeli media. Plushenko's wife denounced the Israeli claims and posted photographs on the Internet of Plushenko lying in a hospital bed.

Defamation has been a criminal offence in Russia since July, when President Vladimir Putin reversed its decriminalization in December 2012 by then-President Dmitry Medvedev.

The offence carries a maximum fine of five million rubles ($165,000).

Written by Ed Hula III.

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