Russia’s Minister for Regional Development Dmitry Kozak told a press conference in Beijing that the cost of hosting the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games will be lower than expected.
Regnum News Agency reports Kozak said, “I can say exactly that the cost of Olympic Games as such, the cost of sports objects and public infrastructure will not exceed and even will be even less than, than was specified in our bid for the Olympics”.
He added, “it will be less than we had declared while competing with other applicant cities. The substantial share of financing of Games will be provided due to private investors. Many investors even now are engaged in the real designing, it is conducted a work which must be done in this period of time”.
Kozak is part of a high-level Russian delegation that toured Beijing’s venues for the Paralympic Games ahead of its own Paralympic Games in 2014. They visited the “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium, the “Water Cube” aquatics venue, and the transport hub within Beijing’s Paralympic Park which continually monitors and controls traffic flow around the Games.
The delegation also toured Beijing’s state-of-the-art Paralympic Village and the Russian Paralympic team’s accommodation during the Paralympic Games.
Kozak said following the tour, “I am determined to ensure that we will thoroughly plan every detail of delivering Sochi 2014 and the inspiring regional re-development that will go alongside it. It is extremely important for us to think over each detail and analyze the full Olympic and Paralympic experience so that Sochi will become a leading Russian resort, but also a world-class centre for winter sport and tourism after hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2014”.
