The Year Ahead -- Construction Gains Momentum for Sochi Olympics

(ATR) Construction of venues and infrastructure is the main priority for organizers of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics over the next year.

Sochi is spending about $13 billion to develop the Black Sea resort and Krasnodar region for the Games, building most of the venues and infrastructure from scratch.

Plans for the sports venues – including all training facilities – were approved by the IOC last year. Work is already well under way on projects in the Krasnaya Polyana mountains. All venues are scheduled to be under construction by the end of 2009 and finished by 2012 to allow for two years of test events.

A total of 247 Olympic projects are slated for completion in time for the Games.

In April last year, Jean-Claude Killy, chair of the IOC's coordination commission for Sochi, warned Russia's Olympic leaders that there was no time to waste because of the sheer amount of work that had to be completed on Games infrastructure. Killy urged organizers to continue to work hard and fast "to ensure construction timelines are met and that no slippage occurs."

The IOC's inspectors will be hoping to see significant progress on building projects when they return to the Black Sea resort in mid-May for their second annual check on preparations.

Security issues will also provide challenges for Sochi 2014 leaders in the coming 12 months.

Four people died and nearly two dozen were injured in six explosions that went off in and around Sochi last year, sparking concerns about the threat of terrorism and the damage being done to Sochi's image in the build-up to the Games.

In November, the IOC rejected calls by the Georgian national Olympic committee to relocate the Games because of security concerns. But ongoing tensions between Russia and its neighboring country following their five-day war last summer have prompted the Russian government to pay more attention to ensuring the safety of the Sochi region.

Amid the global credit crunch, it remains to be seen how much Russia's financial woes will impact Olympic preparations. But Sochi 2014 chiefs remain confident they will secure the necessary 40 percent of private investment to build venues and infrastructure.

The economic downturn could affect the amount of money generated from sponsorships in 2009.

Olympic organizers launched six top tier domestic sponsor categories in December, and there are plans to add another two. The first sponsor is expected to be an oil or telecommunications partner.

Sochi 2014 officials approved their financial plan for 2009 at a Supervisory Board meeting last month, insisting it reflected the global economic climate. But the contents of the plan were not revealed.

In addition to securing some sponsorship funding in the months ahead, work will continue on SOCOG's 36 functional areas. Dmitry Chernyshenko, president and CEO of the organizing committee, said 300 new projects would be launched in 2009.

The formation of the Olympic Transport Board is set to be one of them. Sochi 2014 also confirmed to Around the Rings that a new logo would be launched in the autumn.

Meanwhile, Sochi's acting Mayor Dzhambulat Khatuov is expected to be officially inaugurated as the city’s new mayor at elections in March.

With reporting from Mark Bisson.