Russian authorities closed a Sochi ski resort Monday ahead of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) inspection of Sochi’s bid for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
The resort was closed because of poor safety equipment, according to a report in the Kommersant newspaper Wednesday.
On Tuesday Economy Minister German Gref briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on the resort’s readiness for the IOC visit in February.
The newspaper report said, “the Krasnya Polnaya resort near Sochi has not been operating for two days. On Monday all the lifts, restaurants and cafes at the resort were closed”.
Peter Fedin director of Alpika-Service, owner of the resort’s ski lift, said a regional court had given the order for the resort to be shut down after inspecting technical, medical and fire equipment. He added that he thought the decision was related to a dispute over control of the resort.
The Guardian reports that Alpika-Service reopened the lifts Wednesday. A statement released Wednesday said “Alpika-Service believes it is able to provide quality services to visitors and prepare the Krasnya Polyana mountain resort for the visit of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)”.
