Olympic inspectors see first test events in latest visit to Sochi

Feb 14, 2012, 12:59 GMT

Berlin - Olympic inspectors completed a seventh visit to the 2014 Winter Games hosts Sochi on Tuesday, meeting with Russian President Dmitiry Medvedev and witnessing the first alpine skiing World Cup events on the Olympic slopes.

International Olympic Committee chief inspector Jean-Claude Killy, in an IOC statement issued on Tuesday, praised the downhill course as 'one of the most spectacular' and said the weekend men's races had been well-received by athletes and officials.

'The fact that the venues have been so well-received is a credit to the five years of hard work undertaken by the local organisers and their partners, their teamwork and their ability to deliver,' said Killy.

'The Sochi 2014 venues and operations will be tested, re-tested and tested again over the next two years.'

Next on the women's alpine skiers on the weekend as some 60 events are scheduled at the Olympic venues ahead of the opening ceremony of the Games on February 7, 2014.

The IOC said local organizers were starting to begin the transition from the construction and planning phase of preparations to the operational readiness phase.

Inspectors visited various other venues and heard reports on many aspects of the Games over three days, saying that organizers are on the right track. Medvedev reiterated strong support for the Games in the meeting with the Olympians, the IOC said.

'We have been very impressed by the quality and detail of the presentations that have been made this week. The Sochi 2014 team is of the highest calibre,' said IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli.

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