IOC says Sochi ready for Winter Olympics

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IOC says Sochi ready for Winter Olympics

(Xinhua) 20:52, September 26, 2013

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Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi is completely prepared for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday.

"Everything is brilliantly prepared, all this is impressive. Practically everything is ready for the Games," head of the IOC coordination commission Jean-Claude Killy told reporters after his three-day inspection trip.

This is Killy's final inspection to Sochi before the Games kick off.

The IOC inspectors have visited all sporting venues in the Olympics' both coastal and mountain clusters (in Imeretinskaya Valley and Krasnaya Polyana respectively), he said.

"Four months prior to the Games' start, Sochi is neither behind, nor ahead of the schedule," Killy said.

Meanwhile, he called on the Russian authorities to do more publicity work.

"Please try to communicate your enthusiasm and pride to everyone, because you really can take pride in these Games, minister," Killy told Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, who supervises the Olympics.

Kozak said during six years of preparations the entire new city has been erected with 260 km of new roads constructed and two million trees planted.

Killy's trip coincided with the heavy storm which has hit the Black Sea coastal city. Kozak stressed that the adverse weather did not damage sporting infrastructure, as all Olympics facilities have been built in accordance with strict seismic safety, weather protection and geological protection guidelines.

The 22nd Winter Olympic Games are slated for Feb. 7-23, 2014.

（Editor：YanMeng、Gao Yinan）